Dallas Cowboys: How They Went to New Orleans and Saved Their Season

On December 28, 1996, the Dallas Cowboys beat the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs.

On December 19, 2009, the Dallas cowboys finally won another big game. It was a regular season game in New Orleans against the Saints. Roy Williams told us all that this was going to be a two round fight and as a nation we all laughed. We all felt like the Cowboys had no chance to save their season by beating the undefeated Saints.

The Dallas Cowboys proved us all wrong as they won a huge game in December, their month of horrors since their dynasty ended in the mid 1990's.

The problem with the Cowboys, for years now, has been their owner. Jerry Jones likes to be in control. I mean, have you seen the size of his stadium? He tried to be the man and build his roster while employing coaches like Chan Gailey and Dave Campo.

Jones watched as his franchise sank further and further from the heights attained when Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer won three out of four Super Bowls in the mid 90's.

Jerry Jones swallowed his Texas sized ego and hired Bill Parcells. Parcells eye for talent helped turn the Cowboys roster into a formidable collection of elite talent. Parcells did such a good job with the roster that the Cowboys still have elite talent a few years after Parcells left.

The coaching staff, led by Wade Phillips, seemed to be the problem with the Cowboys. The talent on the field, led by DeMarcus Ware and Tony Romo, peaked in November and played bad football in December.

All of that brings us to New Orleans. The Cowboys came out with their hair on fire, scoring 14 first quarter points. It gave them a lead that they never let go of.

You have to give a lot of credit to the game plan going into the game. That means that you have to give credit to the underachieving coaching staff, as they stepped up with a great strategy to win a pivotal football game in their season.

The Cowboy defense held the Saints to a one-for-seven clip on third down conversions. That stat led to the Cowboys dominating the time of possession and kept the Saints offense on the sidelines for over 36 minutes. Marion Barber led the running backs in rushing and that is crucial when playing with a lead.

That was how the Dallas Cowboys saved their season in New Orleans, they won the game the only the way they could: get a quick lead, smother the Saints offense, and keep them off of the field. They controlled the clock and, even though the Cowboys did all of the above to perfection, they still had to hold on for the win.

The Saints might not be undefeated anymore but they are still very good. They had the ball late and were looking for the tie when DeMarcus Ware forced Drew Brees to fumble the ball.

So now the Dallas Cowboys can look toward the playoffs with a renewed confidence. They have two games left against NFC East rivals Washington and Philadelphia. Splitting those games would make them 10-6 and give them the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs.

The Cowboys also knocked the Giants out of the playoffs with their epic win in New Orleans. Now the struggling Giants have to win out to even have a chance at the post season. So Cowboy fans can find even more pleasure in this win.

I still think that the Cowboys should get rid of Wade Phillips after the season. He is their weak link. The problem for Cowboy fans is that Jerry Jones wants to win in a way where he can take most of the credit and having a coach like Wade allows him to take a lot of credit.

The Cowboys might win a playoff game or two this year but they are not a Super Bowl team. With the talent they have, a great coach can turn this same team into a juggernaut next year.

I guess it is a blessing and a curse to have an owner like Jerry Jones.