NFL: Everything's Bigger In Texas, Except the Dallas Cowboys

What happened to my pick, who was to be representing the NFC in the Super Bowl this season? Well, there’s a plethora of problems wrong with Jerry Jones’ highly-touted but miserable Cowboys, who sit at 1-6 after Week 8. I’m going to stir the pot a little bit, and dig into a team that stands as the biggest surprise and letdown of the 2010 season.

The Offensive Line

Dallas’ protection scheme seemed to be the only concern for Jerry Jones as he geared up for an exciting season, but the problem was far worse than he imagined.

The Cowboys began the season with both Mark Colombo and Kyle Kosier on the injury list. Colombo had already been a proven veteran, while Kosier was gaining a reputation as a young competitor for the team. To make a long story short, Alex Barron’s holding calls at right tackle would eventually cost Dallas their Week 1 matchup on the final play against the Redskins, and Doug Free was beat several times on Tony Romo’s blind side.

Inconsistency and blown blocks had been an issue all year for this team, as now we see that this problem will likely sideline Romo for the season with a broken collarbone.

The running game is also depleted, as the once "three headed monster" of Barber, Jones and Choice looks nothing close to ferocious. The average yards per carry is not even 4.0, which is usually a steady standard for most teams. The inability to get the ball in the red zone is a major factor as to why the running game looks so terrible, as the Cowboys have struggled all season to advance the ball steadily.

In hindsight, I realize that the offensive line problem could have been avoided through years of drafting less skill-position players. We know that “The Boys” are stuffed with flash and talent every year, but they lack the engine to keep the monster offense moving. 

Since 1995, when they won their last Super Bowl, Jones has not picked an offensive lineman in the first round. The Cowboys of course won their first playoff game since 1995 just last season, and I believe Jones’ draft strategy has a lot to do with the unsuccessful 15 year period.

The fact of the matter is that a strong offensive line makes every offensive player look better. A reliable lineman is a quarterback’s best friend, and it would be nice for the Cowboys to draft one in the first round in 2011, for Tony Romo to grow old with starting next season. Both a quarterback and lineman usually play into their mid-30's or even later, having longer careers than the majority of pro players.

Like both Trent Williams and Russell Okung went in the top five of the 2010 draft, the Cowboys should pick with a sense of need instead of value in 2011, because they will almost surely have a high choice.

It’s time for a change Jerry, your franchise quarterback needs some help.

Timely Turnovers

Tony Romo’s statistics looked like a fantasy owner’s dream until his injury against the Giants, but in reality he struggled mightily to make the big plays this season.

In Week 1, Romo should have taken a knee to go into halftime. Instead, his short-yardage lob to Felix Jones in traffic caused a last-play fumble that resulted in a defensive touchdown for the Redskins. Dallas lost 13-7.

Week 5's “must win” game for the Cowboys ended up being a devastating loss to the Titans. Romo threw three interceptions in the game, while two of them were deep in Cowboys territory and nearly returned for touchdowns. He consistently forced short passes into traffic, instead of going down the field where it’s much harder for a defender to stop Dallas’ playmakers. The Cowboys lost by just seven points.

The icing on the cake was the Week 7 "Panic Bowl” loss to Minnesota. Romo again threw multiple interceptions, and both were deep in Dallas territory and resulted in 10 points for the Vikings. His fourth quarter interception hurt the most; because Ryan Longwell went on to kick the go-ahead field goal.  

As mentioned earlier, Romo cannot be blamed completely for his miscues, but a top tier quarterback must not make those mistakes.

Penalties

Penalties are easily the most irritating recurrence for a head coach to watch from the sideline.

As Wade Phillips looked like he was ready to cry time and time again after having several big plays revoked by the refs, the players just continued to break the rules.

According to ESPN, Dallas ranks sixth in total penalties on offense and second on defense. The team might not rank first in total penalties, but we know that Phillips’ team has committed the most significant mistakes. (Barron’s Week 1 hold, and a Miles Austin pass interference call against Minnesota).

Even Roy Williams seemed puzzled after losing when he said, “We have both a top five offense and defense in the league, and are so talented, but we keep struggling.”

It’s not Roy Williams’ fault, but the players themselves dug their own graves, not Wade Phillips or Jason Garrett.  Wade will take plenty of heat though...

Wade Phillips’ Cool Composure

Wade Phillips has a terrific regular season record as a head coach, so I will only criticize him in terms of his poor mentoring and fire on the sideline.

It’s not fair to claim that I know what happens inside the Cowboys locker room, but Phillips lacks integrity and fire on the sideline. I have yet to see him yell or scream at a player like Rex Ryan, Mike Tomlin or even Tom Coughlin.

Every coach must have a firm grasp on their players, but Phillips looks clueless. He  wines when something goes wrong, and we never see any mistakes repaired on a weekly basis. Practice is supposed to make players better.

Phillips will probably be shown the door at the end of the season as Jerry Jones looks to revive his goal of optimizing his talent, but I just hope that wherever Phillips goes next, he addresses the media more sternly and gets a hold of his players.

The Cowboys disappointing season has been hard to ignore, but with a solid draft filled with interior players, and a new coach who has the ability to turn “talent into team,” the Cowboys are not far away from supremacy in the NFC. The rest of this season will be heart-wrenching for the fans in Texas, but they have Jerry Jones, a figurehead who will do everything in his control to win.