Deperately Seeking Dallas

As a general rule, I stay away from blogging and just opinion based criticisms. Granted, I understand that criticism starts with opinion, and some of the annals of history's best commentaries have come from nothing more than stating the obvious beneath the shroud of being merely opinion.

Hell, I believe that basis of existentialism was founded upon thought. But, I have inside of me a need to write and express myself—climbing the soap box if it were—and to hear what others have to say. After today's game between the Dallas Cowboys and the St. Louis Rams, I just have to know.

Despite your preferences, despite your chants of "Dallas sucks" or "America's team," there is a genuinely rudimentary problem with the way the Dallas Cowboys are playing the sport right now.  A lot has already been said about the talent on the team and how, as a unit, not too many teams could stand and run with the level of skill the Cowboys bring to the table.

There is no question to T.O.'s place in the history of the game. He is second all time with receiving touchdowns, and ranks in the top five in a lot of offensive categories. Jason Whitten may be the best overall tight end playing the game and is currently ranked fifth among receivers with total yards and third in receptions.

Marion Barber is just an explosive force running the ball, and he might possess the most powerful stiff arm ever. Tony Romo, whether you think he will be in the hall of fame or tearing tickets for the hall of fame, does possess that "gunslinger" mentality, a la Mr. Favre, and brings to the games an air of excitement and frustration.

The Defensive line and linebackers are possibly one of the better crews in the game with DeMarcus Ware leading the charge. He is scary good.

So what is my point here, well here it goes.

Anyone with two eyes, hell one eye for that matter, can see the secondary is not good. Most of the plays that kill the team are the deep receptions over the middle. Dallas simply cannot cover the pass. Playing seven to eight yards off the receiver doesn't work either, because myself and the other teams know how to count—two plays at seven yards apiece equals a first down every time.

Where Dallas needs to improve is man coverage. As a corner or a safety, are you going to get beat? Yes. But not every play.

Hell, guys like me that play Sunday night softball know that the other team can't jack it over your head on every swing. The trick we use is controlling the other 50 swings the other team takes, and allowing that one or two as just a mere flash.

I am not sure what could be done about improving the secondary, but I think it would start at acknowledging you, as a squad, has a problem and that problem needs addressing.

Also, while Dr. Jones and his son are looking for the secondary relief, they should put in some time finding out how to make the offensive line slim down.

Andre Gurode is 6'4'' 318, Leonard Davis 6'6'' 353, Corey Proctor 6'4'' 308, Marc Columbo 6'8'' 318, and Flozell Adams is 6'7'' 340.

I played a little high school baseball, that doesn't make me an expert on anything, but I do know the difference between the real weights and the program weights. There is no fooling anyone in this league that the Dallas line is big, but when you watch them play they are too slow and not agile enough to deal with the faster and lighter defensive players.

I don't want to see the hay days of 6'2'' 215-pound linemen, but the conditioning of the offensive line has put tremendous amounts of pressure on Romo and today Johnson. Mr. Flozell Adams, while I like him on my team, expect anywhere from two to four penalties to come from him, at integral parts of each game. He is like betting on black when you take all the red squares off a roulette wheel.

Ultimately however, there is one component that separates the great teams from the highly skilled teams, and that is heart. This team does not have any. Oh there are players on the team that get fired up and want this team to stop their struggles and would bleed out before letting another loss pile up. Owens is a prime example of a player who wants to win and wants to be a part of the game.

He may do some interesting antics on and off the field, but he is a competitor and he is doing what he can. The last two games against St. Louis and Arizona, the Cowboys showed absolutely no drive, no importance, and no heart after taking the field.

This is something the coach should be blamed for. If you, as an athlete playing at the highest level of competition, and getting richly compensated for your work and effort, cannot get up for the game and leave everything you have on that field, then you need to retire and move on. Let a young player who still has hunger have a shot.

Any fan who has ever lived, breathed, and died with their teams has said at one point, "I would play for free." I am guilty of it with baseball, and you know you are too at one point. But even though the statement is utterly ridiculous, doesn't that show the passion for the game? Doesn't that show there is something wrong when we are paying for and watching these athletes going out there and just not giving their all?

I teach for a living, and if I don't do my best, I have 100 young Americans who will be burden with the fact I didn't do my job to the best of my ability. I expect that from my teams.

I am not saying these players; these people should be or are my role models. I am merely saying that they should at least have the ability to dial up the intensity and the motivation before each game to go out there and do the best job that they can.

The Dallas Cowboys are not that team. They do not give that effort or display that heart, and as much as I like Wade Phillips and despite the fact he will be gone after this year, the coach is the one who is ultimately responsible for getting his team ready and in the right frame of mind to play the game.

Augie Garrido, the legendary baseball coach for the Texas Longhorns, lives and breathes the game. During one team meeting after a loss, he told his club that he would "have to live with this [expletive] game for the rest of his life," and that "this isn't a game, this is our lives."

Augie lives and breathes to play the game and to make sure that the best is displayed every game on that field. The Dallas Cowboys could stand to gain some important and valuable assistance from an ass-chewing from the coaching staff.

If Phillips can't deliver that, then as a Cowboy fan, I can only hope Jason Garrett will be able to deliver a swifter message. Because right now, this team isn't even ready to play next week—let alone any idea of a playoff.