Welcome to the Off Season

Ok, I'll be brief about the game on Sunday. Dallas lost... Season over... Quite embarassing.

- Jerry Jones says coaching staff will remain in place, plus most of the key elements are already signed to multi-year deals, so they aren't going anywhere.

- Wade Phillips says a change of approach is in order.

- Tony Romo and Terrell Owens, during their press conferences after the game, pretty much blamed this tragedy on Jason Garrett (although not in so many words.)

- Deon Anderson and Flozell Adams got in a fight on the plane home, but quickly squashed the beef, with a little help from Leonard Davis. Bradie James nearly got arrested the morning after the game when he had an argument with an irate fan.

- And oh yea, Romo sustained a rib injury during the game and later passed out from pain in the shower, being quickly attended to by the team's medical staff. He suffered a tear to cartilage in his ribs. He recovered well enough to get to his press conference.

Despite the horror in Philly, and the fact the season is now over for the year, there are a couple positives when looking toward 2009.

- The biggest thing to look forward to, is the biggest thing in Texas... The Cowboys new stadium. It will make it's debut next season and is sure to draw plenty of attention Dallas' way (as if they need help with that.)

- The "changes" that Wade Phillips assures us. It will be interesting to see if he really can make a change, and hopefully turn Camp Cupcake into Army Boot Camp.

- Wounds Healing. The injuries this season have been a major cause for such inconsistency. If it wasn't for injuries to Felix Jones, Roy Williams, Mat McBriar, Kyle Kosier, Marion Barber, a number of corner backs and safetys and of course, Tony Romo, it's tough to argue that this season would have turned out a little differently. A month longer of an off-season can only do good for this injury ridden team.

Another thing that has been announced are the 2009 opponents, which will be the NFC South and the AFC West. Also added to the menu next season are Seattle and Green Bay.

Dallas will play host to Atlanta, Carolina, Oakland, San Diego and Seattle, and will travel to New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Denver, Kansas City and Green Bay, the schedule itself is yet to be determined.

Week 17 Recap - @ Philly

F**K!!

T'is two days before Philly (an interpolation)

T'is 2 days before Philly, and all through the cold,
Not a player is stirring, not even T.O.;
The helmets are placed in the locker with care,
In hopes that the playoffs will soon be theirs;
The coaches are constantly reading playbooks,
With visions of scrambles, play action and hooks;
Through Romo's illness and Witten's bruises,
They're both back in practice, so don't call them losers;
This one final game is now all that matters,
In the end, will we hear their tears or their laughter?;
At kickoff I hope Austin runs like the Flash,
And scores the first Touchdown to start the game fast;
Defense is essential, I hope that they care,
McNabb best prepare for a few sacks from Ware;
Romo just has to play with perfection,
The corner backs need to grab interceptions;
The O-line, needs to break open some holes,
Just ask the right guard, Leonard Davis, he knows;
Wade Phillips will lead and his team will follow,
It will take all of them, to get through to tomorrow;
Witten and Williams and Choice and Folk,
Paulescu and Newman and Barber and Polk;
To the top of the wild card, or at least number 2,
Is all that us fans are hoping they'll do;
It won't be a cakewalk, these Eagles are rough,
In fact any divisional match-up is tough;
So as the clock ticks, and as Sunday gets closer,
Anxiety builds like the heat in a toaster;
And then, when it's time for the game to kick off,
I'll pray and I'll pray that they don't get a loss;
It's 'Do or Die' time, and the chances look slim,
But that's the position these 'Boys like to be in;
When everything's down and it's like a bad dream,
There's magic around... They're America's Team!;
They're all dressed in Blue and Silver and White,
And they will be ready to deliver a fight;
A fumble or two when Big D's 'D' attacks,
Will certainly help get the momentum back;
They must watch McNabb, as he runs all around,
And Westbrook and Jackson and Curtis and Brown;
Plus the Philly D, is a defense that pressures,
With Samuel, Dawkins, Cole and Sheppard;
But thankfully most of our O-Line is beasts,
As they get in position they're clenching their teeth;
Their helmets are down, they'll do more than tap,
As soon as the moment the football is snapped;
Chubby and plump, but physically fit,
They push up the line and don't mind it a bit;
As long as Romo can deliver the ball,
To a back or receiver, the short or the tall;
To convert on third down is a must to succeed,
And fill up the scoreboard with 7 or 14;
21, 28, 31, 34,
As long as it's more than the Eagles can score;
It's all up to them, and this one final game,
If they don't get it done then it will be a shame;
When Monday comes, I hope I can shout,
DALLAS MADE THE PLAYOFFS, and the Eagles are out!!!

Merry Christmas!!

Tomorrow is Christmas, and while the spirit and feeling of the season is abundant in the air, my thoughts are still firmly on the afternoon match-up between Dallas and Philly this upcoming Sunday.

Troubling news from camp however indicates that superstar quarterback, Tony Romo, is not in practice because of an undisclosed illness. Jason Witten was also not in practice today, but his reasons are more obvious. (I'd be willing to guess it's the cracked rib, sprained ankle and sprained knee.)

A few other Cowboys are questionable thus far, and that list includes Montrae Holland, Keith Davis, Ken Hamlin and of course, Marion Barber. There are four days before the 'Do or Die' match-up in Philly, so we'll see how these injuries play out.

That's about all the news I found noteworthy enough to post, so with that, I bid you farewell for now, and to all, have a Merry Christmas!!

One More Chance

I haven't been around for a while due to a new job and being busy with Christmas shopping, but I'm back to continue my extremely fascinating and captivating posts about America's Team.

Ok, where to begin... well, it hasn't been the best December for The 'Boys (yet again.) They lost to Pittsburgh, shockingly won against The Giants and then in an embarrassing fashion, they lost the final game in Texas Stadium to The Ravens.

After that Saturday night debacle against Baltimore, the chances of reaching the playoffs were looking pretty slim. Luckily, the next morning there was an early Christmas present left for Dallas as Tampa Bay lost to San Diego, and Philly lost to Washington. As it now stands, if The Cowboys win their final game in Philly, they will be in the playoffs, no ifs, ands or buts.

The Eagles are still praying for a playoff spot as well (they would need to win against Dallas and for a few teams to lose,) so they aren't going to be taking it easy on Sunday... not at all. There's nothing that Philly loves to do more than beat Dallas, especially under these circumstances.

It's going to be a week full of high anxiety. As the kids wait eagerly for Santa to show up on Thursday, I'll be waiting for Romo to show up on Sunday.

It will all come down to this one final game. In a season that ended up being much more different than early predictions, it's a miracle that there is still hope, and it will be an even bigger miracle if Dallas can pull it off.