Week 10 & 11 Recaps

Hi everyone, I have returned from my vacation of sun, surf and pina coladas and am very happy to be updating my Cowboys' blog again... so let's get right into it.

Week 10 Recap - Dallas (33) @ NY Giants (20)

After a turbulent start to a season where The Cowboys were only getting worse and worse, the embarrassing loss to The Packers in week 9 finally led Jerry Jones to give Head Coach Wade Phillips the pink slip and head into the Jason Garrett era.

There was immediate change as Garrett came on board and changed the entire approach to practice and game-planning. The results have also immediately improved on the field as well.

In week 10 Dallas went into New York (well, New Jersey, technically) to face off against The Giants on a prime-time Sunday Night match-up. No one had expected them to win, in fact they were 14 point underdogs.

I don't know if it was the fact they were facing near-impossible odds or what, but Dallas showed up ready-to-play in the first Dallas/Giant game at the NEW Meadowlands Stadium.

Dallas not only showed up, but they showed off, with Dez Bryant leading the charge and a rookie cornerback, Bryan McCann returning an interception 101 yards for a touchdown.

In the end, Dallas left with a score of 33 to New York's 20.

So that's what a win feels like.

Week 11 Recap - Detroit (19) @ Dallas (35)

In a low-profile, uneventful game where The Cowboys were hosting Detroit at 1:00 pm, no one knew what to expect.

Before the season began, this game was immediately one I put in the 'will-win' category, but after the way 2010 was going, it was anybody's guess at this point who would come out alive.

Dallas continued to improve.

After falling behind 12-7 early in the 3rd quarter, a Bryan (who is he again?) McCann punt return led to a 97 yard touchdown which swung the momentum Dallas' way and didn't stop until after Jon Kitna's career long 29 yard scramble for a late 4th quarter touchdown to put Dallas ahead 35-19.

Can you believe it, Dallas just won 2 in a row and have sailed to the... well, still sort-of depressing record of 3-7... but hey, at least it ain't 1-9.

See Ya Soon

Just wanted to write a quick post to say that I will be on vacation beginning tomorrow so unfortunately I won't be giving any picks this week or writing a game preview. I will do my best to write up a recap for Sunday's game, but it'll probably be a week late, so I'll just do a double header recap with The Giants game and the Detroit game in two weeks, unless I get bored on vacation and decide to write something up... I probably won't though.

So, farewell, I'll see you in about two weeks. Have fun, stay safe.

My Thoughts on Garrett

Jason Garrett has taken the helm of the U.S.S. Dallas Cowboys and so far in just 3 days there have been noticeable changes.

The newly implemented podium at press conferences, instead of table and chairs, was the first change, which started Monday. This not only makes him appear very political, but it allows him to control the situation with the media. He is making it obvious that he will not fall for a trick question and he will be the one dictating the direction of the press conference. This is a good change of pace and it already sends a message to the fans and the players that this is Garrett's team and it's going to be his way... we'll have to see if 'or the highway' comes into play anytime soon.

The next change was the tempo of practice. The first practice of the week was on Wednesday, and for one, the players were in full pads, something Wade rarely did. Second, it was non-stop... even between drills or when players were walking off the field, they were forced to run. Garrett was also said to be very hands-on in all aspects of the game, working with the offense, the defense and special teams.

I'm really liking the way Jason Garrett is starting his role as head coach. He knows that changes needed to come and he's implementing them. He insists upon accountability and moving forward. He allegedly suspended all locker-room distractions, which included loud music, dominoes and cards. He is Princeton smart and has a storied history with Cowboys' football, learning under some of the best coaches in the game. Garrett has surprisingly surprised me, maybe he'll be better as a head coach than he's been lately as offensive coordinator. Time will tell.

On Sunday against the Giants, we'll already have some more answers as to what Garrett is doing different that actually contributes to progress, although he only had a week to get the team ready, so don't expect much. The fact that 'change' is in the air is enough to generate some excitement, but Garrett will need to make obvious improvements if he wants that excitement to continue.

It is my belief that if there is any sort of positive change at all, Jerry Jones will more than likely keep Garrett on board as head coach next year. This is due to the potential hold-out next year as well as the fact that Jerry has had Garrett waiting in the wings since he hired him. It seemed that Jerry has been developing Garrett like a rookie quarterback and the hiring of Wade was basically to give him an experienced veteran to ease him into the head coach position. Now is his moment to shine. Will he take the ball and run or will he have a heartbreaking fumble.

This season just got a bit more interesting and gave me a reason to keep watching. In Red We Trust!

NFL Picks - Week 9 Recap

Wasn't a horrible week for my picks, not exactly ideal, but not horrible... I went 7 of 13 and for the whole season overall I am 59 of 115 or 51%, so I miraculously jumped back above .500. Whew.

The starred games are games I correctly picked and the records reflect their current record.

1:00 Games

*Tampa Bay 21 (5-3) @ Atlanta 27 (6-2)
Miami 10 (4-4) @ Baltimore 26 (6-2)
*Chicago 22 (5-3) @ Buffalo 19 (0-8)
*New Orleans 34 (6-3) @ Carolina 3 (1-7)
New England 14 (6-2) @ Cleveland 34 (3-5)
*NY Jets 23 (6-2) @ Detroit 20 (2-6)
San Diego 29 (4-5) @ Houston 23 (4-4)
*Arizona 24 (3-5) @ Minnesota 27 (3-5)

4:00 Games

*NY Giants 41 (6-2) @ Seattle 7 (4-4)
Kansas City 20 (5-3) @ Oakland 23 (5-4)
Indianapolis 24 (5-3) @ Philly 26 (5-3)

SNF

Dallas 7 (1-7) @ Green Bay 45 (6-3)

MNF

*Pittsburgh 27 (6-2) @ Cincinnatti 21 (2-6)

Wade Phillips FIRED!!

Bill Jones of CBS 11 Dallas/Fort Worth was the first to report (via Twitter) at around 2:00 pm EST that Wade Phillips has been fired and Jason Garrett will be filling in as interim head coach.

It was something that should have happened two weeks ago, if not two years ago... Wade may not be responsible for all of the horrible play lately, but ultimately he is responsible for this team and with a 1-7 record and no signs of improvement coming anytime soon, something had to be done and Wade is the one who unfortunately gets the boot.

The regular Monday press conference is scheduled for 5 pm EST and that is probably when we will get more details, such as who will become defensive coordinator and if Jason Garrett will still be offensive coordinator or if someone else will be promoted to that position.

*UPDATE*

Jerry Jones held his press conference at 5 pm EST, and as expected, he officially announced Wade Phillips' dismissal, the promotion of Jason Garrett to [interim] head coach and the promotion of linebackers coach, Paul Pasqualoni, to [interim] defensive coach. When asked if Garrett will find himself in the head coaching role in 2011, Jones pretty much said (in 'Jerry-speak') that these last 8 games will pretty much be his audition. He has expectations for a 'culture change,' in this organization and although it was hard for him to do, the embarrassing loss to Green Bay pretty much forced his hand in firing Wade.

Jason Garrett held a press conference at around 7:30 pm EST, and although he acknowledged and appreciated Wade Phillips' tenure as head coach, he focused on the future and putting his stamp on this team, having expectations, and holding players accountable.

In my opinion, Garrett certainly shined in his first press conference as head coach. Sure he was very much like a politician, from his poise to his commanding speech at the podium (which he requested, as opposed to Wade's table and chair,) but he gave me confidence and he seemed very authoritative and intelligent. I could see that he has been waiting a long time for this moment.

His focus was on moving ahead and when asked what changes he plans to implement and how, he emphasized that changes will come because the team's personality will change to match that of it's leader... which I took as a subtle dig at Wade's way of coaching. He talked about how it's important to be consistent and pile up the positives.

I might regret saying this, and maybe I'm just so used to Wade's 'ho-hum' speeches, but my opinion on Garrett has changed. I still think he made some awful mistakes with playcalling for parts of last year and most of this year, but he seems like he'll bring some much needed changes. He can't possibly make it worse, and I have a feeling that ever since he was hired in 2007 he's been pining for that head coach job... plotting and planning and maybe even scheming...hmmm.

We'll see... On Sunday, Dallas will travel to the Meadowlands and face The Giants for the second time this season... to say it'll be a challenge is a major understatement.

Go Cowboys!! And Congratulations to Jason Garrett, the 8th head coach in Dallas Cowboys history and the very first interim coach.

Week 9 Recap - Dallas (7) @ Green Bay (45)

The score says it all.

This game easily jumps near the top of my '3 most embarrassing games of all time,' list. There is no excuse for the kind of play that they are exhibiting. Nothing is happening right and practically every single player is playing like they already gave up. Mike Jenkins in particular was abysmal on defense, but honestly no one came to play (Dez Bryant is one of the few exceptions.)

I figured they would lose, but the manner in which they lost this game was truly breathtaking. It was such a 'comedy of errors' that I was really close to just laughing at the whole performance like Deniro in Cape Fear.

I can't even recall all of the turnovers and poor play, it was so pathetic I can barely even believe that I'm not dreaming. Unfortunately, pinch after pinch and I don't wake up... this is real... this is how bad my beloved Dallas Cowboys truly are.

A full recap is pointless... I can't even bring myself to look up all the stats because they were that bad... they barely broke 100 total yards on offense and the defense allowed 45 freakin' points! Thankfully, Green Bay decided just to run on 4th down late in the 4th quarter in the redzone instead of kicking a field goal... they were even embarrassed for The Cowboys.

Dallas is 1-7... Unbelievable... They are heading to New York next week to play The Giants... oh joy!...

It doesn't get much worse than this, my only hope is that Wade Phillips is gone by tomorrow... it has to happen, there isn't any way to right this ship at this point and these players are obviously not playing to keep Wade's job so even if it isn't a good decision, it's what has to happen.

Jerry Jones is hurting himself, the team, and us fans if he doesn't make some very serious changes to this organization immediately. The way this season is going, Dallas is going to end up 1-15... we are just now halfway through the season and there is not one microscopic bit of evidence that this team has what they need to turn their losing streak around and win any games.

Well, this season is a wrap... On to The Giants to get another beat down.

NFL Picks - Week 9

Better late than never. I usually try to get my picks done on Friday, but got a little caught up with life, so at least I will get my picks posted a couple hours before the game.

Anyway, here we go...

1:00 Games

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta - Atlanta
Miami @ Baltimore - Miami
Chicago @ Buffalo - Chicago
New Orleans @ Carolina - New Orleans
New England @ Cleveland - New England
NY Jets @ Detroit - NY Jets
San Diego @ Houston - Houston
Arizona @ Minnesota - Minnesota

4:00 Games

NY Giants @ Seattle - NY Giants
Kansas City @ Oakland - Kansas City
Indianapolis @ Philly - Indianapolis

SNF

Dallas @ Green Bay - Dallas

MNF

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnatti - Pittsburgh

Week 9 Preview - Dallas @ Green Bay

For any Cowboys fan that has been watching this team all year, there is certainly not much hope that they can win Sunday Night's game, let alone play anything resembling 'professional' football.

This will be one of the biggest challenges of the season, and it's coming at a bad time when Dallas is fractured and falling apart. The Packers are coming off of an impressive 9-0 win over The Jets and although they may be having just as many injury woes as Dallas, they are still playing good football and winning games. The Cowboys are without their star quarterback and are dealing with a hobbled secondary, O-Line and D-Line, and they're playing like they gave-up weeks ago.

I wish I could say I believe Dallas could win this game, but in all honesty, I do not have any faith reserved for them the rest of the season, (with the Detroit game being the possible only exception.)

The "changes" that Jerry Jones said would be coming right after the loss to Jacksonville are apparently forgotten. Everyone's hope that Wade Phillips would be gone have evaporated and it seems that no matter what happens, Wade will be here for at least the rest of this year. The roster changes seem pretty minor too, as LB Jason Williams was cut this week, but that's barely going to 'shake things up' so what's the point.

Dallas is just plain bad. If they manage a win, I will be shocked.

My Hope - Dallas 42 @ Green Bay 14
My Fear - Dallas 0 @ Green Bay 24
My Guess - Dallas 17 @ Green Bay 30

NFL Picks - Week 8 Recap

My football picks just keep getting worse and worse. This week I went for an unimpressive 5 for 13 and now I am overall at 52 for 102 which is just a chin hair higher than 50%.

The football gods certainly aren't looking upon me this year.

(The starred games are the games I correctly guessed and the records have been updated to reflect this weeks outcomes.)

1:00 Games

Denver 16 (2-6) @ San Fransisco 24 (2-6)
Jacksonville 35 (4-4) @ Dallas 17 (1-6)
Miami 22 (4-3) @ Cincinnati 14 (2-5)
Buffalo 10 (0-7) @ Kansas City 13 (5-2)
*Washington 25 (4-4) @ Detroit 37 (2-5)
Carolina 10 (1-6) @ St. Louis 20 (4-4)
Green Bay 9 (5-3) @ New York Jets 0 (5-2)

4:00 Games

*Tennessee 25 (5-3) @ San Diego 33 (3-5)
*Minnesota 18 (2-5) @ New England 28 (6-1)
*Tampa Bay 38 (5-2) @ Arizona 35 (3-4)
Seattle 3 (4-3) @ Oakland 33 (4-4)

SNF

Pittsburgh 10 (5-2) @ New Orleans 20 (5-3)

MNF

*Houston 17 (4-3) @ Indianapolis 30 (5-2)