Should the NFL Just Say Aloha to the Pro Bowl?
The annual NFL Pro Bowl is boring and lame, I proclaim. No, I am not loose with metaphors of Dr. Seuss.
With the word lame, I mean "weak and ineffectual; unsatisfactory: a lame attempt to apologize; lame excuses for not arriving on time" (thefreedictionary.com).
The Pro Bowl is a lame attempt to have a real NFL football game, I proclaim. The old Lingerie Bowl even used to have more drama with underwear and pajamas.
The NFL Pro Bowl is widely recognized as the least enjoyable of all the major All Star Games. The game is a rather anti-climactic end to the season and the quality of play tends to compare to something found at the middle school level or at the high school girls' Powder Puff football game, I proclaim.
This game rivals with watching paint dry, curling, and synchronized swimming. Even a boring NBA game has more drama and action.
Players seem as if they don't even want to be there, as they play "not to get hurt." The wise players withdraw from this vain game, I proclaim.
The Pro Bowl seems to be a glorified version of Powder Puff Football or Flag Football with some Arena Football League wrinkles. They have silly rules changes and limits, like no blitzing!
Picking the Pro Bowl roster after week 13 is a joke. Fans vote for the most popular players on their teams, not the best performer players for that particular season.
Did you hear this news about this season's Pro Bowl? Amid a deteriorating economy and a sharp decline in tourism to Hawaii, tickets to the Pro Bowl haven't been selling as well as previous years, and whether the event will return to Honolulu in future years remains uncertain.
The league's all-star game could be blacked out on television in Hawaii if the roughly 5,000 remaining tickets are not sold 72 hours before the Feb. 8 game, the NFL proclaims. The game has sold out, usually weeks in advance, every year since moving to the 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium in 1980.
We have heard that the NFL has announced they will make changes to next year's game by hosting it in the Super Bowl city in the off week before the game. This will not help make the game somewhat relevant, even if it capitalizes on Super Bowl hype to increase TV ratings.
Whoa! An all-star game without the star players to be featured in the Super Bowl? Isn't the entire point of an All Star game to showcase your league's best players?
Doesn't his create a credibility issue? Wouldn't this make a proclaimed lame game worse?
In many cases, aren't these players going to be participating in the game the following week, the Super Bowl? What coach in their right mind would allow a single player to take even a single snap considering the risk of injury?
Apparently, the NFL does not know what to do with it's lame Pro Bowl game, but I know what do with with the lame NFL Pro Bowl game, I proclaim!
At best, it gives the coaching staffs a chance to cozy up to guys who'll become free agents in less than three weeks. At worst, it's a paid vacation with a football game justifying the write-off.
In its current form, no one would miss it. No one cares much about the Pro Bowl.
So why not simply name the team, and not play the game? That's right, NFL. Just say "Aloha" to the Pro Bowl.
Aloha means a variety of things in Hawaiian, including both hello and goodbye. In this context, it's farewell.
Maybe during the weekend before the Super Bowl, the league could begin or kickoff the NFL Experience by just naming both the new Pro Football Hall of famers and the all-star team, similar to the way the NCAA announces its all-American teams.
Announce the Pro Football Hall of Fame's new members on Saturday and the Pro Bowl/All-Stars on Sunday.
Give each Pro Bowler a $100,000 check. The won't miss playing an all-star game that is lame, I proclaim.
That is my Plan A. Do I have a Plan B? You bet.
Move the Pro Bowl to July and to Canton, Ohio, and play it as the Hall of Fame game to kickoff the NFL preseason. It's an exhibition game, anyway, with a lot of substitution.
There are other ideas such as play it in mid-season in November and with a large monetary incentive at rotating sites. This game could also be used as an experiment with rules changes.
We also probably need to revise how the players are picked so that the best performers, not the most popular players, are selected. Let the NFL coaches select the teams.
Why not just invite all 32 teams to send five or six players apiece and have an actual flag football tournament? For the NFL Pro Bowl is merely glorified flag football already.
However, play flag football on a football field, not on a beach. Remember Robert Edwards of New England?
What are your solutions for fixing the NFL Pro Bowl?
Copyright (c) 2009 Bleacher Report, Inc
SUPER BOWL XLIII : The joy of six
TAMPA, Fla. - Santonio Holmes walked the path of greatness blazed in the days of yesteryear by Pittsburgh wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger came through in the clutch as Terry Bradshaw did four times in the 1970s.
And linebacker James Harrison made the red-letter defensive plays that Steel Curtain defenders such as L.C. Greenwood, Jack Lambert and Mel Blount made a habit of making three decades ago.
The 6 1/2-point favorite Steelers, pushed to the absolute limit of their ability, brought home their record sixth Super Bowl championship Sunday night at Raymond James Stadium in high-drama fashion.
Stretching out his body and somehow touching his toes down, Holmes' 6-yard touchdown reception with 35 seconds left was the biggest play in a fourth quarter overflowing with them as the Steelers repulsed the game Arizona Cardinals, 27-23, in Super Bowl XLIII.
"If I could win any way, it'd be like that," said Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin, at 36 the youngest coach ever to win a Super Bowl. "Never pretty. Never blink, either."
The Steelers (15-4) appeared to have the game well in hand at the end of three quarters, leading 20-7. Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, the heart of Arizona's prolific offense, had been rendered null and void by a Steelers defense that bumped him at the line with cornerback Ike Taylor or safety Troy Polamalu and kept another safety behind him.
But early in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals (12-8) junked their conventional offense and went with a no-huddle attack featuring four wide receivers.
"They're built around a 3-4 defense and their linebackers," quarterback Kurt Warner said. "When we put four wideouts out there, it got some of their linebackers off the field and played into our favor."
Warner became the first quarterback to surpass 300 passing yards three times in the Super Bowl. He threw for 377, including all 87 in an eight-play drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown on a jump ball to Fitzgerald that made it 20-14 with 7:33 to go.
Arizona's aggressive defense, which displayed unexpectedly stout resistance in limiting the Steelers to 58 yards rushing, forced a three-and-out, but the Cardinals had to punt themselves with 3:30 left.
However, after Michael Adams downed the punt at the 1, the Cardinals scored a safety when Steelers center Justin Hartwig was penalized for holding linebacker Chike Okeafor when Roethlisberger had the ball in the end zone.
Now trailing 20-16, the Cardinals took the lead in two plays on a 64-yard strike to Fitzgerald. The Steelers tried to protect their lead by playing the two safeties about 22 yards deep.
But when the safeties split and moved toward the boundary, the middle of the field was wide open after Fitzgerald beat Ike Taylor inside. He streamed down the middle of the field like Secretariat winning the Triple Crown.
"At least they scored early," Tomlin said, "instead of milking the clock down on us."
Roethlisberger, whose 22.6 passer rating in Super Bowl XL was the worst by a winning quarterback, threw first-down completions of 13 yards to Holmes and 11 to Nate Washington.
Then, with 1:02 left, Holmes found an opening in front of the safety and behind a cornerback against a Cover 2 coverage. Aaron Francisco, the dime safety, was there to make the tackle after a 15-yard gain. But when Francisco slipped, Holmes shot past him all the way to the 6 for a gain of 40.
On first down, Roethlisberger sailed a pass into the left corner that the leaping Holmes got both hands on but couldn't snare.
On second down, Roethlisberger fired into the right corner where cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, nickel back Ralph Brown and Francisco were between him and Holmes.
But the pass was placed almost surgically and went right to the elevating Holmes, who pulled it in despite having Francisco grabbing at his arms.
"Santonio is a guy who just loves to deliver in big moments," Tomlin said. "This is similar to what he did in the playoffs. In big moments, we know what we can get from him."
Now 1-2 in Super Bowls, Warner easily had his finest performance with a passer rating of 112.3.
"Kurt Warner's Kurt Warner," Roethlisberger said. "He's a phenomenal football player. I told him it was an honor to play against him."
Roethlisberger had a 93.2 rating, showing how much he has progressed in three seasons. The Steelers desperately needed the passing game because the Cardinals limited Willie Parker to 53 yards on 19 carries.
The Cardinals' final chance began from their 23 with 29 seconds left. Completions of 20 yards to Fitzgerald and 13 to J.J. Arrington moved the ball to the Pittsburgh 44, and Arizona called its final timeout.
Warner looked deep, but as he began his delivery, his right arm was smothered by linebacker LaMarr Woodley, who beat right tackle Levi Brown around the corner. The ball came loose and was recovered by James Harrison, the other outside linebacker.
"We've shown character all year," Arizona Coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "The ability to stay in and fight. We showed it tonight."
Copyright (c) 2001-2009 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc
Super Bowl players, this is your life
TAMPA - Get ready for the NFL's version of This is Your Life.
The only things missing are the late Ralph Edwards and the element of surprise. Like it or not, the Super Bowl XLIII participants know what's coming.
During media availability today through Thursday, select members of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals will be pressed to dish about their personal lives or revisit moments they would rather forget. For example, Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett will inevitably be asked about what it was like as a 13-year-old to find his mother murdered in execution-style fashion. Steelers defensive end Aaron Smith already was deluged with interview requests last week (which he declined) to speak about his five-year-old son's battle with leukemia. And there are those beer bong internet photos that Arizona backup quarterback Matt Leinart may never live down.
How players handle such attention can affect their pregame preparation or even sour what should be a special week.
"There could be a nerve somewhere that might get hit," said New England coach Bill Belichick, who has taken four teams to Super Bowls this decade.
As the Patriots were reminded with last year's Spygate controversy - not to mention the buzz about quarterback Tom Brady's relationship with model Gisele Bundchen - Super Bowl hype goes far beyond the game itself. Sure, "Media Day" at Raymond James Stadium will have a lighter tone Tuesday with costume-clad media and entertainers asking silly questions (one reporter last year wore a wedding dress asking players to marry her). But human interest stories remain a favorite among serious journalists - even if the subject has no desire to take a trip down memory lane.
The more sordid a player's past, the more likely it will resurface.
In this same city eight years ago for Super Bowl XXXV, Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis was peppered with questions about his involvement in a 2000 altercation that left two men dead. Not only did he refuse to address the matter, Lewis didn't let it affect his performance. He was voted the game's Most Valuable Player.
Another hot topic leading into that Super Bowl: New York Giants quarterback Kerry Collins' recovery from alcoholism. Rather than allowing Collins to become subjected to daily inquiries, Giants media relations director Pat Hanlon limited related questions to one day of media availability. While it didn't help Collins on the field - he threw four interceptions during a 34-7 loss - the restriction made his 45-minute media sessions more palatable the remainder of the week.
"The best approach is to be open, direct, honest and to understand that facing those types of questions is really a small part of your Super Bowl experience," Hanlon said. "If you keep things in perspective and manage it well, it will remain a small part. You are there to win the biggest game of your life. You don't want anything to distract from that."
In that regard, Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin already has failed.
Boldin could have defused the hullabaloo surrounding his sideline fight with offensive coordinator Todd Haley during Arizona's NFC Championship game win over Philadelphia last Sunday by addressing reporters afterward or the following day. Instead, the controversy lingered until Thursday when Boldin finally made himself available to all Cardinals media.
With his reputation as a locker-room leader now besmirched, a high-profile player like Boldin will probably have to revisit the blowup this week. But he won't be alone in the spotlight. Here are the players whose backgrounds make them prime targets in the media crosshairs.
Dockett: The 1994 murder of his mother Cheryl Hambrick remains unsolved, but Dockett has admitted her involvement in drug dealing may have played a role in her death. Dockett's father died of pancreatic cancer four months later, leading to him being raised by his uncle Kevin.
"I owe everything to him," Dockett told the Tampa Tribune. "Without him, I wouldn't be here right now."
Smith: Initially hoping to keep his son's illness private, Smith went public in December to help promote a blood drive in Pittsburgh. Smith, whose son received multiple transfusions during treatment, told FOXSports.com that the drive raised three times the number of liters (900-plus) from the previous year. Smith must now decide whether to use the Super Bowl as a platform to raise awareness for leukemia-related causes or make the topic off-limits.
Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger: He's the NFL's most sacked quarterback (192) since 2004, but that beating doesn't compare to the life-threatening one Roethlisberger suffered during a 2006 motorcycle accident. Roethlisberger doesn't remember much about the incident, but that probably won't prevent another round of questions about the impact it made on his life, motorcycle safety (he wasn't wearing a helmet), etc.
Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner and wife Brenda Warner: Mr. Warner will have the chance to recount the religious-themed, rags-to-riches story that already was told during his appearance in Super Bowl XXXIV. That means attention will also be heaped upon Mrs. Warner, especially because she actually looks younger now than in 2000 following a massive makeover.
Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald: No player in the postseason was hotter than Fitzgerald, who caught 23 passes for 419 yards and five touchdowns. But such success also has spurred greater media scrutiny, which is why Fitzgerald may be asked to address the protective order taken out against him in October by an ex-girlfriend. According to court documents filed by Angela Nazario, Fitzgerald allegedly shoved her to the floor during an argument over their infant son.
Other Super Bowl players arrested within the past year who may be prodded about their respective incidents include Steelers linebacker James Harrison (simple assault and criminal mischief; dropped after he completed anger-management counseling), Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes (marijuana possession) and Cardinals running back J.J. Arrington (disorderly conduct). Harrison already had a high school arrest for firing a BB gun publicized by those who chronicled his rise from undrafted free agent to this season's NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Cardinals running back Edgerrin James: Raised two hours south of Tampa in the poor farming community of Immokalee, a teen-aged James worked on a watermelon truck with druggies who used their wages for crack. How he managed to overcome such difficult circumstances to forge a brilliant NFL can serve as an inspiration for any youngster experiencing a tough upbringing.
Cardinals defensive tackle Bryan Robinson: He isn't nearly as big a name as Collins, but Robinson also has an inspirational tale of overcoming alcohol abuse. Arrested twice for DUI within a four-month span while playing for Chicago in 2002, Robinson successfully completed a rehabilitation program and has since proven a valuable resource for fellow linemen through his on- and off-field experiences.
Leinart: Plenty of kids in their early 20s like to party, but few have Leinart's high profile. The private photos of Leinart drinking and soaking in a hot tub with coeds tainted his wholesome image and infuriated the Cardinals, which expected better judgment from a player signed to a $60 million rookie contract. Leinart is still better known for those photos and others from the Scottsdale club scene that have subsequently surfaced than anything he's done on the field after three seasons.
On the bright side, at least Leinart's jpegs aren't as embarrassing as those of Pittsburgh's Jeff Reed. The bleached-blond Steelers kicker has achieved internet infamy through shirtless photos at nightclubs as well as smiling for a nude shot taken inside a bathroom.
With the media chomping for juicy Super Bowl stories, this would be a good week for Reed to keep his clothes on.
(c)2009 Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC
A passing fantasy versus the immovable object
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - In football "they" say that defense wins football games. In baseball "they" say that good pitching (defense) beats good hitting (offense).
We are about to test the theory.
The Pittsburgh Steelers own the No.1 defense in NFL, first in fewest points allowed (13.9 ppg), fewest passing yards allowed (156.9 ypg), second in rushing yards allowed (80.2) and fewest total yards allowed (237.2 ypg).
They were the second-best defense in fantasy football only because the team they beat on Sunday, Baltimore, turned more interceptions and fumbles into touchdowns to edge them in D/ST scoring by a 182-176 margin.
The Steelers faced little offensive firepower in the playoffs, facing a San Diego Chargers team without LaDainian Tomlinson and an injured Antonio Gates and a mediocre-at-best Ravens' offense.
That won't be the case in two weeks when the Steelers get together with the upstart Arizona Cardinals in Tampa.
The Cardinals finished the regular season as the No.4 offense in total yards with 365.8 ypg. They are particularly adept at throwing the ball where Kurt Warner has put together the No.2 passing offense.
Warner finished the season as the No.4 fantasy quarterback and runner-up for "TSN Best Fantasy Bargain." Not bad for a player with an ADP (Average Draft Position) of 137.
The 1999 Super Bowl MVP (with St. Louis) finished the regular season with 4,583 yards, 30 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions - worth 271 fantasy points, behind only Drew Brees (335), Jay Cutler (288) and Philip Rivers (275).
The Cardinals will also bring to the field in Tampa the best receiver in football, both in real life and fantasy in Larry Fitzgerald (96 receptions, 1,431 yards, 12 TDs, 286 fantasy points) and despite missing four games during the regular season because of injuries the No.7 fantasy football receiver in Anquan Boldin (89 receptions, 1,038 yards, 11 TDs, 219 fantasy points. They also had a third receiver who ranked No.19 in fantasy points at wideout - Steve Breaston (77 receptions, 1,006 yards three TDs, 175 fantasy points).
This will be the best passing offense that Pittsburgh will face all season... and yes I know they played against Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in November. Who would you rather have - Fitzgerald, Boldin and Breaston or Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison and Anthony Gonzalez?
And they will face them, not in the cold of February in Pittsburgh or on the slop they generously call turf at Heinz Field, but in the warmth of Tampa where the grass is green not green-painted dirt and an offense can play at their best.
The Steelers are favored by around a touchdown, and rightly so, but this will not be an easy game. It will, however, be a great test as to whether a great defense really does beat a great offense.
(c)2008 The Sports Network
Playoff chaos? Blame realignment
The NFL playoffs have been extraordinarily difficult to figure out in recent years.
Back in 2005, the Steelers became the first team in history to win three straight road playoff games and the Super Bowl. Then, just two years later, the Giants duplicated what seemed like a historic feat, also navigating three road games on the way to the Lombardi Trophy. The 2006 Colts, meanwhile, won the Super Bowl after a season in which they surrendered 360 points, the worst defense ever to win the Big One. Then came the 2007 Giants, who won the title despite outscoring their regular-season opponents by a miniscule 22 points. And only one No. 1 seed this decade has won the Super Bowl: the 2003 Patriots.
The 2008 season, meanwhile, provides a conference title game pitting two nine-win teams (Arizona, Philadelphia) for the first time since, get this,the 1967 Ice Bowl between 9-5 Dallas and 9-4-1 Green Bay, back in the 14-game era.
Why all the chaos?
Blame the realignment of 2002, which broke the league into eight four-team divisions. The realignment gave us situations like the one we've had here in 2008, when a 12-4 team (Indy) has to go on the road to face an 8-8 team (San Diego), while an 11-5 team (New England) that beat a 9-7 title-game contender (Arizona) by 40 points just a few weeks ago sits at home and watches it all unfold.
It's a disaster, folks.
Essentially, the current alignment devalues the 16-game regular season, and seems to reward teams unduly with home playoff games that they probably don't deserve. And it simply demands that you beat out three other teams, in some cases three other bad teams (see: "AFC West" and "NFC West") to reach the postseason. We'll have much more on this topic in the days and weeks ahead.
But for proof of the chaos, just look at the impact realignment has had on what used to be known back in the good old days as homefield "advantage."
From 1970 to 2001, home teams had a winning record in the postseason in every single year but two (1971, 1992), when the split the playoff slate 50-50.
In 2005, just the fourth year of realignment, home teams suffered a losing record (4-6) for the first time in history. Last year, home teams went just .500. And, no matter what happens next weekend in the conference championship games, home teams (currently 3-5) will do no better than .500 this year.
That's two .500 postseasons in the 32 years from 1970 to 2001, and three .500 (or worse) postseasons in the last four years.
Anyone else sense a disturbance in the football force? Well, here it is:
Home teams won 70.4 percent of playoff games (190-80) from the merger in 1970 to the last year of the old alignment in 2001.
Home teams have won just 58.8 percent of playoff games (40-28) from the realignment of 2002 until today.
Home teams have won just 52.6 percent of playoff games (20-18) since 2004, easily the worst four years for home teams in NFL postseason history.
If the Ravens and Eagles win next Sunday, clearly a possibility, 2008 will easily go down as the worst year for home teams in NFL postseason history (3-7).
Here's a look at the postseason performance of home teams every year since the merger. Clearly, realignment has changed playoff expecations. The only question is if it's changed things for the better or for the worst. Our take is this: it's become increasingly clear that the realignment has devalued the regular season. But, again, more on this development in the days ahead.
(c)2009 OPEN Sports Network, Inc
It's time for Dungy's time in Indy to end
It's time for coach Tony Dungy to follow his heart, return home to Tampa and his family and the next chapter in his life, and it's time for the Indianapolis Colts to hear a new voice.
Dungy knows that, and my sense is he has known that every time he has made an in-season trip to Tampa to see his family. Every time he stepped back on the plane to return to Indianapolis, he left a little piece of his heart behind.
Now it's time to go.
It's the best thing for Dungy, who has considered retirement at the end of each of the past five seasons, only to be talked back onto the sideline.
And yes, it's the best thing for the Colts, who have gone about as far as they can with Dungy and his staff.
As much as we all respect and like the man, the numbers cannot be ignored. In seven playoff seasons here, Dungy's teams were one-and-done four times. Twice, after advancing in the playoffs, they got rolled in New England, barely competitive in either game. And, of course, they won a Super Bowl.
It's not just his record here. He had the same reputation in Tampa, where he built what had been a laughingstock of a franchise into a perpetual contender. He had to leave before the Bucs got over the top and won a Super Bowl under Jon Gruden.
Nobody can take away that one shining moment with the Colts. Dungy will always hold a special place in Hoosiers' hearts, not only because of the Super Bowl (well, mostly because of the Super Bowl) but because of all the good works he did in the community. But there's the nagging sense that during a stretch of six straight seasons of 12 or more wins, the Colts, blessed by at least three future Hall of Famers and probably more, ought to have more than one Super Bowl appearance to show for it.
Listen, nobody is kicking Dungy's backside out the door. Nobody is packing his bags for him. But sometimes, well, you just know it's time. And the Colts have reached a point where they need to know that their coach is in it for the long run and is not an eternal year-by-year proposition.
"He's got to have his heart in it to stay," Manning told the Los Angeles Times after Saturday's game. "That's (Dungy's) deal."
Now, is associate head coach Jim Caldwell the right guy? Simply stated, he has to be.
Because he's owner Jim Irsay's and team president Bill Polian's choice and has been for months now. They committed to him last year and now it's incumbent upon them to see it through.
At the same time, the Colts should understand turning to Caldwell will be a tough sell. He's an unknown commodity and comes with the reputation of being Dungy Lite. Go ahead and dream of Bill Cowher or Mike Shanahan, but with the domineering Polian in charge, the Colts will never have a high-profile, independent-minded head coach.
Right now, angry, frustrated Colts fans want a spittle-spewing, butt-chewing SOB who will inspire this team to play as well in the playoffs as it does in the regular season - and I don't blame them. They don't want soft-spoken. They don't want even-keel.
But that won't happen.
What I would like to see, though, is for the coddling, enabling, everything-is-all-right culture to change in this organization, and that begins with Polian. In his world, the running game is fine, and Marvin Harrison is fine, and the defensive tackle spot is fine without any big guys, and Manning can never do anything wrong, and the media are always the convenient bogey men whenever the message gets skewed. The Colts spend more time trying to cover up Manning's knee injuries than they do fixing their abysmal special teams - 10 years and still lousy - or bolstering their wretched running attack.
They kissed Harrison's backside all season after it was clear his game was gone. And where was Harrison in San Diego? Three catches for 20 yards? Give me more Anthony Gonzalez. Heck, give me Roy Hall, for that matter. There's just this smarmy, we'll-do-things-the-way-we-always-do-them-and-show-you-we're-smarter-than-you culture with this franchise, and it has left it short of achieving the greatness it should have achieved long ago.
It's time for Dungy to follow his heart back to Tampa, back to prison ministries, back to working hands-on with troubled young people. This has been a mission of his for years; he even spoke of doing more important work than coaching a football team early in his tenure in Indianapolis. He always loved the NFL coach's pulpit - that was one of the things that lured him back - but now, he wants to make a more direct impact on a society in which too many young black males are incarcerated and too few graduate.
"There are some other things I'd like to do," Dungy said Sunday. "If there was any one thing, it's probably doing something more hands-on with young men. We've got such a crisis right now. .. But on the other side of the coin, you've got a great platform as a head coach of an NFL team. You've got to balance that out."
It's time. For Dungy to go. For Caldwell to begin. To start the next chapter.
Copyright 2009 USA TODAY
Cowboys Won't Contend for Some Time
In spite of all that has been written in this space before--about the Cowboys' poor team chemistry, about their lack of heart, and about the ineptitude of the coaching staff--the sheer awfulness of that game Sunday was staggering.
With all that has happened over the previous four months, Dallas still, somehow, found itself only 60 minutes away from a playoff berth and a chance to erase the first 16 weeks of the season. But they couldn't do it. The team and coaches couldn't even care enough to show up for one game. When Nick Folk's opening kickoff sailed out of bounds, it was hardly an auspicious omen.
Now, the Cowboys are done, and their season, for all intents and purposes, is no better than the 0-16 campaign turned in by the Detroit Lions. Yes, the Cowboys are done, and fans should only expect future seasons to end well short of the NFC championship game as well, unless jarring, sweeping changes are made to the very core of the franchise.
As currently constructed, the Dallas Cowboys will not contend for a very long time.
Sure, they'll be 8-8 or 9-7 (maybe even 10-6 some years), but they will not be legitimate threats to the Giants, Steelers, Titans, Colts, or Patriots.
Now, some may say that this is too emotional, a knee-jerk reaction that won't serve a purpose. Too many people at Valley Ranch, though, are simply distractions to the rest of the team. They are playing for themselves, rather than the other 52 men with stars on their helmets. Currently, I can think of perhaps 10 men who should be guaranteed spots on this team next year. The rest should face serious questions about their ability to help this team in the future.
Here are the guys who should get to stay (in no particular order):
Marion Barber--one of the toughest guys in football, he can be an elite back.
Felix Jones--injuries ruined what was a spectacular rookie season.
Tashard Choice--surprising production in final month; provides exceptional depth.
Mat McBriar--best punter in NFL, and a key weapon for stagnant offense.
Jason Witten--the best TE in NFL, and a team leader. Only consistent offensive threat Dallas has.
DeMarcus Ware--set franchise record with 20 sacks; should be defensive MVP.
Jay Ratliff--going to the Pro Bowl and may have even higher ceiling.
Bradie James--team captain had best season of solid career.
Terrence Newman--got paid in off-season and had excellent year when he was on the field.
Orlando Scandrick--significantly outplayed fellow rookie Mike Jenkins and should be a starter for next 7 years.
Nick Folk--outstanding second season; Dallas hasn't had kicker this good since Chris Boniol, and this is actually a critical position.
And that's it. Only 11 men deserve to be guaranteed roster spots for next year. That this number is so small is a scathing indictment of the personnel assembled by Jerry Jones and his coaching staff.
How bad did is the Dallas atmosphere? Players cannot wait to leave. Immediately after the game, Tank Johnson (a convicted felon) screamed, "I'm a free agent baby!" in the locker room. In his 1.5 seasons here, Johnson was hardly the productive force that will have teams lining up to court him. Did the players even care that their season had ended? No. That is staggering.
Zach Thomas and Greg Ellis also indicated that they are ready to move on; well, good riddance. Jerry Jones needs to determine which men actually want to be here and which are man enough to deserve to be here.
This team is a group of gutless cowards, and the Dallas Cowboys will be a joke until they are gone. Let's start with those who must be released:
The coaching staff--this is obvious; the players take their cues from the (lack of) leadership at the top, so Wade Phillips, Brian Stewart, Jason Garrett, and the entire staff are gone. A win in Philly might've saved them, but their team was unprepared to play football when it mattered most. That's a coaching problem. Clearly, the NFL has figured out Jason Garrett. Ray Lewis called the Dallas offense "the most simplistic in the league" before the game against the Ravens.
Greg Ellis--perpetual complainer doesn't want to be here and really isn't that good at football.
Adam Jones--he should be in prison, but, at the very least, NOT on the Dallas roster. When he wasn't suspended, he contributed more to the other teams (with poor coverage, turnovers, and penalties) than the Cowboys.
Terrell Owens--this is all about eliminating distractions. Owens had the worst season of his career, with only 10 touchdowns, and he hit the 100-yard mark in just two games. As long as he's here, he will try to draw the focus from the rest of the team.
Obviously, this is hardly a complete list. And, I would like to put Tony Romo on it as well. Romo is a good quarterback, but he will not be great until he stops turning over the football. As Brett Favre gets criticized for costing the Jets a playoff berth with his league-leading 22 interceptions, Romo threw 14 picks this year and lost seven fumbles. For those scoring at home, that's 22 turnovers for Favre and 21 for Romo. Guess what? Neither gets to play in the postseason this year.
Clearly, Romo likes the celebrity aspect of being the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. I would, too; it's quite a gig. But, he seems to relish being a celebrity more than a good football player. He plays his worst in the biggest games and refuses to be accountable for his mistakes.
Romo is not the answer for Dallas, but there is simply no one better available (since Cleveland is unlikely to deal Brady Quinn). So, Romo gets another shot. He's not the quarterback the Cowboys need, but he's the one they deserve.
Today, Jerry Jones has talked of continuity and keeping this team together another season. That's a mistake. Sometimes, you need to make change for the sake of making a change. If people know that they will not suffer a consequence because of poor performance, they have no need to try to do their jobs well. Most professionals would try anyway, out of personal pride.
This team, though, has shown it has not pride. They are cowards, and a group of cowards will never be champions.
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