Category: Cowboys (Page 22 of 54)

They never quit. They never gave up. They never stopped fighting. They suffered more than a couple of major physical and mental breakdowns on both sides of the ball — substitution penalty, defensive holding, clocking the ball on that last drive — and they were playing one of the greatest 4th quarter quarterbacks in league history, but the Cowboys never threw in the towel. Give ’em that.

When Green Bay went up 21-3 early in the 2nd quarter, it looked like the rout I figured it to be. Rodgers was having his way with the Dallas secondary and the whole Cowboys defense was already worn out. Down by 18, Dallas couldn’t run Ezekiel Elliott like they needed to and the offense, which was going to be the only hope against the Packers, was reduced to one dimension. Even after Dak Prescott marched the Cowboys down the field and hit Dez Bryant with a touchdown that made it 21-10, Rodgers answered right back in a way that would have sunk most other Cowboys teams.

But the Cowboys kept fighting. I’ll give ’em that.

What a wild finish to the most entertaining playoff game of the Divisional Round weekend. A combined 24 points scored in the 4th quarter by the Packer and Cowboys, including three field goals of more than 50-yards in the final 93-seconds. Dallas scored 18 points in the 4th quarter to erase a 15-point deficit. But it was Rodgers hitting Jared Cook on 3rd and 20 with a 35-yard pass down the very edge of the left sideline that doomed Dallas to another epic failure on the playoff stage. That astonishing pass and catch set up the 51-yard field goal that won the game as time expired — that’s the play we’ll see on the highlights over and over again until Green Bay gets knocked out or wins the Super Bowl. But I think it was the play before that clinched it for the Packers.

How did Rodgers hang on to the ball on the Jeff Heath sack?!?

Heath blitzed from Rodgers’ blind side and blasted the Packers quarterback, tomahawking his right arm to knock the ball free. Rodgers didn’t see him coming — he had no idea he was about to be hammered. He didn’t see Heath, he didn’t feel Heath, he didn’t sense it coming at all. And in the instant before Heath made contact, I jumped off the couch, threw my arms over my head and screamed in agony: “No! No! No!”

I just assumed Rodgers fumbled. No quarterback in the league survives that kind of sack without losing the ball. It was impossible. It never occurred to me that Rodgers would hold on to it. He fumbles there and, if the Cowboys recover, they’re on the Green Bay 32-yard line and Bailey wins it with a field goal. Automatic. Heath becomes the improbable hero and the Cowboys win the game.

I’ll never know how Rodgers did not fumble that ball. It’s beyond my comprehension. But he calmly gets up, calls the timeout, hits Cook with another play-of-the-day pass, and watches calmly as Crosby hits the game-winner. Green Bay travels to Atlanta for another NFC Championship Game and the Cowboys still have not won a Divisional playoff game in 21-years. And counting.

Let me make two observations about the Cowboys and be done for the day.

One, it looks like the Cowboys have something really good in Prescott. Maybe. You can get in trouble for anointing a legend before his sophomore year is complete. Dak is a rookie playing the easiest schedule in the league with zero expectations. If you’re one of the few Cowboys fans who hasn’t purchased a Dak jersey yet, you might hold off until the end of this upcoming season. Everybody’s got film on Prescott now and the expectations are high and next year’s schedule will be against division winners, not cellar dwellers. Having said that, this team really responds to Dak. They follow him, they believe in him. The defense plays better after Prescott does something exciting, the line blocks better because he doesn’t get sacked or throw interceptions, the receivers jump higher, the coaches coach better. It all snowballs in really fun ways around Dak Prescott. For now.

Second, you can look at Dallas and see reflections of 1991. It was that season, Emmitt Smith’s second with the team, that you sensed something really special was building. The Cowboys — really young, really dynamic, fun personalities, unique talent, and top picks at three key offensive positions — won a playoff game that year for the first time in nine seasons and then got obliterated in the Division Round. But it felt like something great was happening. The core players were in place, the chemistry was perfect, the next level was just around the corner. Sure enough, Dallas won the next two Super Bowls and made it look fairly easy.

There are a few similarities between this team and that one. With one glaring difference: This team is coached by Jason Garrett and that one was coached by Jimmy Johnson. That team was put together by Johnson and Lacewell and this one is run by Jones and Jones. So, yeah. There’s really no reason to be optimistic.

If you’re a Cowboys fan, this surprise 13-3 season, the number one seed in the conference, and an exciting loss in the Division Playoff is probably as good as it’s going to get.

Peace,

Allan

The Dallas Cowboys, owners of the best regular season record in the NFC and the top seed in the playoffs, will not win their Divisional Playoff game this Sunday against the Packers. It seems almost impossible to me. I know Dallas routed Green Bay at Lambeau Field earlier this season. I know Jordy Nelson has two broken ribs and a collapsed lung and Ty Montgomery’s knee is held together by duct tape and bailing wire. I know the Cowboys are healthy and rested and playing at home. Here are a few other things I know:

Jason Garrett is the Cowboys coach. Garrett is not known for making in-game adjustments. He’s incapable of changing things on the fly. If the Packers show Dak Prescott any kind of defensive set he hasn’t seen before, Garrett will be no help.

Dak Prescott is the Cowboys quarterback. Yes, he’s in the running for NFL Rookie of the Year. Yes, he’s made all Cowboys fans forget Tony Romo and every other Dallas signal caller since Troy Aikman. But he’s a rookie. Prescott is a rookie. There have been 50 Super Bowls. One hundred starting Super Bowl quarterbacks. Not one single rookie. This is not a regular season game. This is the Divisional round of the postseason against a Packers team that knows how to peak at the right time — Green Bay streaked to the Super Bowl as a sixth seed just six years ago. Dak is smart. I love that Dak seems to never throw interceptions and never take sacks. But another reason for his wild success this year is that he has about seven minutes to sit back in the pocket and throw. Prescott never really has to check down to his second or third read. He locks his eyes and his body on that primary receiver and just waits for him to come open. He won’t have that luxury Sunday. Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers, and Nick Perry will be joined by blitzing nickel backs and safeties and linebackers to insure that Dak is rushed into checking away from his number one target and making quicker decisions and quick throws.

Aaron Rodgers is the Packers quarterback. I don’t need to say much here. Rodgers has willed Green Bay to seven straight wins and he is always at his best after Christmas. Never mind that Nelson won’t play. When Jordy went down at the beginning of the second quarter against the Giants last week, Rodgers went on to throw for 330 yards and four touchdowns and score 38 points against a defense that’s a whole lot better than what he’ll face at AT&T Stadium.

Green Bay has momentum. The Packers have won seven straight games in seven straight weeks. The Cowboys have lost two of their last four games, the starters haven’t played a real game together in almost three weeks, and Dallas is averaging only 21 points in their past five games.

Jerry Wayne is the Cowboys owner. Since Jones fired Jimmy Johnson for winning back-to-back Super Bowls, the owner has made it clear that winning Super Bowls is not his top priority. Consider the evidence: the Dallas Cowboys have not won a divisional round playoff game since the 1995 season. That’s twenty-one years of postseason irrelevance. How everyone expects that to suddenly change with a rookie quarterback, a rookie running back, a prima donna receiver, an average defense, and an overmatched coach is beyond me. I know, I know: They went 13-3! Don’t forget they played a last place schedule this year, the easiest schedule in the NFL. Coming off that 4-12 fiasco and losing Romo in the preseason meant the slate was easy and the expectations were zero. No pressure. They beat a lot of really bad teams. The Packers are a really good team. This is not mid-October. And the football gods are not going to let Jerry Wayne grin his way to a conference championship game.

The strategy for both teams is going to be to control the ball to keep the other team’s offense off the field. Ezekiel Elliott ran wild at Lambeau earlier in the season. And that’s going to be the Cowboys’ only shot this Sunday. Of course, Green Bay will follow the Giants’ blueprint and do everything to contain Elliott and force Prescott to beat them. And he might. Green Bay’s corners were leaving New York’s receivers open all day in the Wild Card round and, but for a dozen dropped balls, we might be talking about Eli Manning today instead of Aaron Rodgers. New York’s defensive secondary is far superior to the Packers’. However, I think they’ll get enough pressure on Prescott up front to negate the weakness.

It’ll be a low-scoring game. Lots of running. Maybe fifteen punts. Under three hours. Green Bay will take it 23-17. And Jimmy Johnson will purse his lips, clap his hands four times, and giggle quietly to himself.

Peace,

Allan

Since the day Jerry Wayne’s gargantuan ego caused him to fire his back-to-back Super Bowl winning coach and replace him with Barry Switzer, I’ve lived by the mantra, “If you can’t say anything ugly about the Cowboys, don’t say anything at all.”

Allow me to break from this blog’s tradition for just one day and, in the words of that fired coach, say, “How ’bout them Cowboys?!”

Whoa.

I don’t get it. I thought God hated the Cowboys what with the devil himself owning the team. I’m still expecting some awful and delicious thing to go horribly wrong in a way that rips the gut out of this team and its fans like never before. Surely some incredibly unforeseen tragedy awaits.

Or, maybe not. This team has been gifted with two unbelievably talented and unflappable rookies in two really critical roles and this train is not just rolling, it’s gaining speed with every week.

Look at Dak. He’s really only had two rough quarters this entire season. Against Philadelphia, the Eagles blitzed him and hit him and knocked him down and sacked him more than he’d been harassed all year. And for the second and third quarters, he looked a little overwhelmed. A little. But then he figured it out and he’s been super hot ever since. In his first two or three games I had two criticisms of his passing: he threw behind his receivers and he never went deep. Well, you can fix throwing behind receivers — that’s a timing thing — and he’s done that. Throwing deep? Yeah, he’s doing that, too, with a super soft touch that receivers absolutely love. Reading blitzes? Seeing the field? Scrambling to throw? Prescott’s got all of it. And he’s gained the respect and confidence of everybody in that Cowboys locker room.

Look at Elliott. Yesterday Troy Aikman compared him to Emmitt Smith in the way he makes that first tackler miss. Troy would know. And he’s not given to much hyperbole. I trust that. The part of Elliott’s game that reminds me of Emmitt is the way he uses his hands while he’s running to knock away the arms and hands of those would-be tacklers. Have you noticed that? He instinctively slaps their hands away just like Smith; it’s beautiful. He sees the field, he waits on his blocks, he picks up blitzing linebackers, he catches the ball out of the backfield, and he’s got a turbo-charged next gear that takes your breath away. I’m not a fan of his halter tops, but Zeke looks like a great running back.

The whole rest of the team, and maybe the entire franchise, is feeding off the success of these two surprising rookies. The defense is playing with more confidence and energy. The special teams are making spectacular plays every week. Jason Garrett’s game management and play calling seem to be less conservative; he seems to have more confidence in Prescott than he ever had in Romo.

Now, honestly, I’ve tried to make excuses all along during this incredible start. The Cowboys are playing a last place schedule, the easiest slate of games in the league. But I can’t get away from the fact that it’s very hard to get wins in the NFL. Even against bad teams, it’s tough to win. But the Cowboys are beating the good teams — a November win in Pittsburgh is massive any year — and making the bad teams look like the JV. In a league that is structured to produce 8-8 teams, the Cowboys have won eight in a row.

Yes, they’re on a roll. Yeah, they’re fun to watch. And… wait for it… I’ve read more than a couple of national and regional writers today who are using the words “Cowboys” and “Super Bowl” in the same sentence.

Perfect.

I’ve watched almost every snap of almost every Cowboys game since the day Jerry Wayne fired Johnson and took over full control of the franchise. We’ve all been conditioned to expect something unexpected, something horribly unexplainable, to go foul at the absolute worst time and rip the guts out of this team and its fans. A season-ending injury. A bone-headed coach’s decision. A bye-week arrest. Five turnovers in a division home game. A botched snap on a game-winning field goal. A video-reversed referee’s call on a diving catch. Something. Most fans push those dark dreads aside, ignoring the inevitable, foaming at the mouth, getting Super Bowl tattoos before Black Friday.

That makes it all the more delicious when the whole thing comes crashing down. The shock. The horror. The wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Me? I’m expecting it. This team hasn’t won a single divisional playoff game in more than 20 years. Are two rookies going to change that? I don’t believe so, not yet.

But, man, they are seriously on a roll right now.

Peace,

Allan

The Dallas Cowboys have the best offensive line in the NFL, they have an electrifying quarterback / running back rookie combo in Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot, Dez Bryant’s right foot is completely healed, and, due to last season’s 4-12 finish, they’re playing a loser’s schedule in 2016: the AFC North and a bunch of last place teams. Their own division, the NFC East is a dumpster fire. Surely, even with the loss of Tony Romo for the first six to eight weeks and the drug-related suspensions of half their starting defense to begin the season, the Cowboys will finish with a winning record and qualify for the playoffs.

Really?

Have you been watching this team for the past twenty years?

The Cowboys have not been relevant in a long, long time. The last time they won a divisional round playoff game, Bill Clinton was promoting an intern instead of campaigning for his wife. As long as Jerry Wayne is running this team, a return to any kind of NFL prominence is an absurd fantasy. Football is not the priority for Jones. The game is only a means to more cash from an ever-dizzying array of alternate revenue streams. Yes, Jerry Wayne is brilliant. But it doesn’t help the Cowboys when he schedules Coldplay at ATT&T Stadium in front of 90,000 people at an average of $450 per ticket but still drafts Jaylon Smith.

The owner/president/general manager/huckster of your Cowboys is a proven liability they cannot overcome. Think about it. One of the bigger shocks in the offseason is that Jones DID NOT resign Greg Hardy and make him a player/captain/defensive coordinator. This is the same evaluator of talent who said of Brandon Weeden, “He is a thing of beauty throwing the football; you won’t see a more gifted passer.” Jones lets DeMarco Murray walk in March 2015 and then uses the highest pick the Cowboys have had in decades on Ezekiel Elliot 13-months later. He uses the second pick on an injured linebacker who may not ever play. Football is not his priority. Jones is only interested in providing content for TV, regardless of the quality.

So, again, in the interest of “If you can’t say anything negative about the Cowboys, don’t say anything at all,” I give you my 2016 Dallas Cowboys game-by-game prediction.

Sept. 11 v. Giants – Since I’m writing this on Labor Day, I have no idea if Jason Pierre-Paul will blow off another hand in a holiday fireworks accident this evening. I’m assuming he won’t. And I’m assuming he’ll sack Prescott twice and recover at least one fumble in the Giants win. The Giants defense was last in the NFL last season and they haven’t made the playoffs in four years. But the Cowboys offense sputters all day. Ezekiel Elliot gains 124-yards on 35-carries in his NFL debut. But Dak turns the ball over three times, he only connects with Dez Bryant on two completions, and they go 1-11 on 3rd downs. Eli Manning hits Odell Beckham, Jr. for two scores and New York takes the opener 20-13. Linebacker Sean Lee made it through the entire game without suffering an injury and so is awarded a game ball in the Cowboys locker room.

Sept. 18 @ Redskins – Well, we were afraid this might happen. In light of Prescott’s first-game struggles, Jerry Wayne panics and signs Johnny Manziel to the Cowboys, even though Manziel showed up at team headquarters in Frisco with a needle hanging out of his arm and a dead bookie in the trunk of the car that he crashed into a light pole on his way in. Somehow, Dallas does squeak out the win. Prescott manages the game, throwing the ball only four times, but handing the ball to Elliot 37-times for 101 tough yards and two touchdowns. Dez Bryant finishes with zero targets and zero catches in the 17-14 Cowboys win.

Sept. 25 v. Bears – Lots of news leading up to this one. TMZ’s cameras caught Ezekiel Elliot hanging out in Deep Ellum after the Washington win with Mark Stepnoski and Ricky Williams. Jason Garrett announced that Tony Romo has looked good in the cafeteria. And Dez Bryant complains to the media that he isn’t getting the ball. A careful analysis shows that, indeed, Cole Beasley has twice as many catches as Bryant for a total of nine yards. Dak doesn’t look like an NFL passer. Dallas’ defense can’t stop Jay Cutler and the Cowboys lose at home for the second time in as many games 38-3. The Bears defense doesn’t respect Prescott’s passing, stacking the line on every play to stop Elliot who finishes with 77-yards on 35-carries. Cowboys fans claim they have the best offensive line in football, so it must be Elliot.

Oct. 2 @ 49ers – Jason Garrett informed his players that they would all stand at attention, in a single file line, with their helmets off and their hands over their hearts for the national anthem before the game in San Francisco. Unfortunately, Sean Lee strained an elbow ligament during the song when, in an instinctive move to over-function, he attempted a salute. Colin Kaepernick makes his first start of the season in place of Blaine Gabbert who has not grasped new coach Chip Kelly’s manic offense. His game day socks bear little Eddie DeBartolo images that are somehow in line with the league’s uniform policy. But he still causes negative distractions by his boycott of The Star Spangled Banner and the defiant way he shakes his afro at the military flyovers at the end of the song. So when he throws four picks in the home loss to Dallas, the 49ers and the NFL collude to cut him and ship him to a European basketball league. Ezekiel Elliot runs for only 21 yards on 39-carries. His attacking style and the cumulative number of early season carries seem to have worn him out. Dan Bailey kicks five field goals in the 22-13 win.

Oct. 9 v. Bengals – Trying to fix the running game while waiting for Tony Romo to return from his back injury, Jerry Jones asks Chris Christie to sit in on the team’s offensive line meetings this week. As expected, Jason Garrett tells reporters he thinks this is “an excellent idea!” The Cowboys defense is excited to return a couple of their suspended players back to the lineup this week. But the D is on the field for 49-minutes as Cincy “pounds the rock” all evening in the 33-12 Bengals win. Prescott was benched at halftime after throwing two interceptions, replaced by Mark Sanchez who made his Cowboys debut by fumbling off his rear end on the first snap of the third quarter. As a provision of a little known NFL rule, PacMan Jones was arrested and taken to jail after ten unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Ugly loss for Dallas.

Oct. 16 @ Green Bay – Attempting to jump start his anemic offense and take some pressure off his terrible defense, Garrett decides to start Manziel at quarterback against the Packers. Garrett cites some cryptic “chemistry” Manziel shares with Elliot. With Tony Romo expected to return after the bye week, the Cowboys cut Sanchez, who immediately re-signs with the Eagles. Manziel is absolutely electric, throwing for 359-yards, connecting with Dez Bryant for two scores, and running for two more. But Elliot suffers a serious injury late in the 4th quarter. On his 33rd carry, Elliot’s left hamstring spontaneously explodes. Actual sparks and tiny flames of fire shoot out from his uniform pants leg. This is bad. Maybe season-ending. Aaron Rodgers throws a “Hail Mary” touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson on the game’s last play to beat Dallas 42-41. The Cowboys enter the bye week at 2-4, minus their top draft pick, with a defense that’s getting ripped every week, but with hope on the horizon: Romo is rumored to be returning for the Philly game.

Bye Week – A busy off week for the Cowboys. A respected team of surgeons has declared that Romo’s back is as good as a junior high science project put together with day old Olive Garden breadsticks and hot glue. Good enough! The Cowboys feel confident their season can be salvaged with the 36-year-old behind center. After all, haven’t you heard? The Cowboys have the best offensive line in football! Plus, the NFC East is so weak, Dallas is only a game behind the Redskins in the standings. Philadelphia releases Mark Sanchez for the second time in less than four months when, disappointingly, he can give them no inside scoop on the Cowboys’ schemes. It seems he never even opened a playbook while in Dallas. And Jerry Jones admits in an exclusive interview with GQ that the only reason he drafted Ezekiel Elliot was because his name sounds like a brand of single malt scotch.

Oct. 30 v. Eagles – Romo to the rescue! Cowboys win! Tony Romo is safe in the pocket all night and throws for three scores and no turnovers in the dramatic 38-37 victory. Rookie Carson Wentz shreds the Cowboys defense and Philly leads for most of the game. But Romo connects with Bryant, Beasley, and Terrance Williams for touchdowns in his 2016 debut. There are obvious questions about the defense. But Garrett says after the game this is exactly what they were planning for: hold on until Romo can return. Jones tells reporters he sees no reason why Romo can’t lead his team to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the most optimistic 3-4 team in the NFL. Cowboys fans are the most obnoxious, posting memes and tweets comparing Romo to General MacArthur returning to Normandy and Jesus Christ rising from the grave.

Nov. 6 @ Cleveland – LeBron James gives the 5-2 Browns a motivational speech in the locker room before the game. Robert Griffin III has been sensational, the Indians are in the ALCS against the Rangers, and the whole city of Cleveland is boasting about maybe three championships in one glorious year. Sensing a connection, Jerry Jones begins discussing with Donald Trump the possibility of holding the next Republican National Convention at ATT&T Stadium. Trump sets Jerry straight, reminding him that, by 2020, there won’t be a Republican Party to hold a convention. Romo keeps the mojo going. He throws for two scores, runs for one more, and tells reporters after the 28-24 win his “back and shoulders have never felt better!” Darren McFadden runs for 101 yards in the victory behind the “best offensive line in the NFL.” Sean Lee returns and makes nineteen solo tackles and drives the team bus to the airport after the game.

Nov. 13 @ Steelers – No one was surprised when Tony Romo went down midway through the second quarter. Tyron Smith missed a block and the Cowboys quarterback was sandwiched on a Steelers blitz. When they cleared the pile, television cameras panned away from the signal caller lying motionless on the turf. It was too much. A bone had punctured his skin and was protruding from his right shoulder. His left leg had been twisted off and was lying in a pool of blood six feet away. Part of his spleen was hanging out of his pants and he had bitten clean through his tongue. They carried Romo off the field on two separate cots. Steelers fans, being the notorious mean-spirited jerks that they are, chanted “Here we go, Steelers, here we go!” And the life was sucked out of the Cowboys. Pittsburgh wins 41-3.

Nov. 20 v. Ravens – Dak Prescott is back under center for Dallas and looks to have matured as a passer during his five-week benching. Romo attends all the quarterback meetings via video conference from the ICU at Parkland Hospital, vowing to return in time for the stretch run. But Garrett and the offensive staff pour all their energy into Prescott who responds with his best game as a pro. Jason Witten misses four practices, maintaining a 24-hour vigil at Romo’s bedside, but returns to the team to catch two TD passes in the 20-13 win over Baltimore.

Nov. 24 v. Redskins – Short week. Thanksgiving against the ‘Skins. Rookie quarterback. We’ve been watching old Clint Longley clips all week. But the Cowboys don’t need a desperation heave in this one. McFadden runs hard and Prescott continues his maturation in a 27-20 victory. Rolando McClain and Randy Gregory are back from their ten game suspensions and do bring some life to the troubled defense. But Sean Lee is out indefinitely after his face was scalded in a freak mishap during Beyoncé’s halftime show. Members of the Cowboys offensive line make a music video, lip-synching to a song Gary Hogeboom wrote called “The Best Offensive Line in the NFL.”

Dec. 1 @ Vikings – Sam Bradford lines up in the backfield with Adrian Peterson (the Vikings don’t know what else to do with him) and the OU tandem combines for 202 rushing yards to gash the Cowboys defense and dampen their playoff spirits 31-14. The Cowboys offense seems unable to find a rhythm. The defense can’t tackle their way out of a paper sack. But at 6-6, Dallas trails the Eagles by just one game in the division and controls their own destiny.

Dec. 11 @ Giants – After a ten day layoff in-between games, the Cowboys seem to be back in business. Sean Lee returned to the lineup wearing a suit made of Kevlar and bubble wrap and the Dallas defense sacked Eli Manning four times and picked him off twice in the 20-17 win. Prescott and McFadden did just enough to control the clock and keep the Dallas D off the field and fresh for their pursuit of Manning. Tony Romo has been released from the hospital after a leg transplant, a shoulder reconstruction, and the insertion of a plastic spleen. He still can’t speak, what with only half a tongue, but he promises to be at every practice and meeting to help Dak and the Cowboys during the final stretch.

Dec. 18 v. Buccaneers – New president Donald Trump has deported more than 75% of all Dallas Cowboys fans out of the country, which explains an almost empty ATT&T Stadium for the Tampa Bay game. By the time Jameis Winston ran for 135 yards and threw for 432 more, the parking lots were empty, too. Dallas kept stalling on offense and couldn’t contain the Bucs on defense in the 36-9 loss. As the Cowboys lined up for yet another field goal try, Garrett was overheard on the coaching headsets asking new offensive assistant Mike Huckabee, “Don’t we have the best offensive line in the NFL?”

Dec. 26 v. Lions – Needing to win both of their remaining two games to guarantee a playoff berth, Ezekiel Elliot returns to the field at home against Detroit. His hamstring is healed and his body is fresh, running for 126-yards and forcing the Lions defense to give Dak some room. Prescott does just enough in the 24-18 win: no interceptions, no big plays, nothing spectacular good or bad. Now the Cowboys need to win the season finale in Philly to win the division. Speculation begins that maybe they need Romo if they’re going to beat the Eagles.

Jan. 1 @ Eagles – In an effort to confuse Philadelphia, the Cowboys are coy about their starting quarterback in the season finale. Romo is reportedly participating in practices and will be on the active roster on game day. He’s listed as questionable. Prescott is saying all the right things in expressing his admiration for his veteran teammate and his commitment to whatever will help the Cowboys win. Romo can’t actually “speak” to the media; he’s writing down answers to reporters’ questions on index cards. The suspense ends when Romo’s transplanted leg falls off during the coin toss. It’s over. Tears well up in his eyes as Romo frantically moves to reattach his leg, but he dislocates his surgically-repaired shoulder in the attempt. As the coin is tossed, Romo makes a valiant effort to call out “tails!” But the referee can’t understand him and awards the flip to Philadelphia. Prescott performs admirably, eluding Eagles rushers, deciphering Eagles coverage packages, and throwing for three touchdowns. He looked good. But it was not enough. Carson Wentz cements his Rookie of the Year status in the 30-24 victory. The Cowboys finish at 8-8 and are knocked out of the final wildcard spot when Washington wins later in the day.

Jerry Jones says Romo shows great heart; don’t count him out for next year. Garrett says the team is going to continue “doing things” the right way with “high character guys.” Ezekiel Elliot says the video of him in a car with Mark Stepnoski behind a hubcap shop in Pleasant Grove doesn’t prove anything. And Dan Bailey knows that, as long as the Cowboys have the best offensive line in the NFL, he’ll always have a job.

Peace,

Allan