What's Wrong with the Cowboys? - Start the List

What's wrong with the Dallas Cowboys? On paper they are one of the most if not the most talented rosters in the league. Seriously, who has a better roster the Colts (4-0) or the Cowboys (2-2)?

There's a lot of things to talk about but we can narrow it down to a list of iniquities:

5. Defense - The Boys have not done a consistent job of pressuring the QB. DeMarcus Ware had 20 sacks last year and has exactly 0 by week 4 this season. The result? Their secondary is getting beat for big play. I don't necessarily see good discipline either. Last night I saw Anthony Spencer try to jump a route and intercept a ball meant for Buckhalter instead of batting it down and/or making the hit. The result? A big play for Denver. Did anyone watch that Carolina game? I haven't seen such poor tackling since my son's Middle School game. I'm assuming Wade has not taken over play calling duties from the Defensive Coordinator like he did last year, but he may need to soon. If he is calling the plays, then this really needs to be addressed.

4. Receivers - Romo is getting plenty of time in the pocket. But the fastest guy we have is Miles Austin who is our #3 receiver I believe. Our #1 is Roy Williams and he is big and slow. Patrick Crayton is a good, maybe slightly above average receiver. In a nutshell, Romo gets 4 seconds or so, but no one is getting open consistently. The result? Usually a sack, interception or incompletion because we all know Romo will not just throw the ball away. Jason Witten is the only real receiving threat and every team knows it

3. Tony Romo - Okay, Romo's been taking a lot of heat and most people would probably rank him #1 on this list. I refuse to do that. He is a very, very talented QB with so much potential. He is playing abnormally bad even for his standards. I mean, you don't expect to see him play this bad unless its a playoff game or a late December game. His biggest problems? He relies to much on his talent, he won't throw the ball away if no one's open, he forces the ball too much...all sound like the same problem right? Here's the kicker; he's not a leader. If we haven't seen it before, we're seeing it now. There can't be any leadership there because this team is underachieving, plain and simple. I like Romo, but he needs to toughen up mentally. He CAN be a franchise QB, but he's not playing like it right now.

2. Play Calling/Jason Garrett - I hate to put this at the feet of Jason Garrett, but the offensive play calling is his responsibility right? This team's personnel dictates that it be a run oriented, blitz oriented team. Do they play that way? No. With Barber, Jones and Choice there's no question we should be running, running, play-action, running, play-action...and a few passes sprinkled in. But that's not what's happening. In fact, during the game against the Broncos I saw a fairly successful 1st half of running the football. In the 2nd half they only ran in run situations. The results? Three and outs and an overall ineffective offense. Do you credit the Broncos defense? Somewhat. You can't argue the talents of Champ Bailey. However, look at Denver's defensive roster and then look at the Cowboys' offensive roster. Need I say more?

1. Coaching/Wade Phillips - I've got to start at the top. I don't even know if I need to make this point. Is there anyone who doesn't recognize that Wade Phillips is a very nice guy who runs a very good defense but is a complete push over? I feel like I'm jumping on the poor guy. So instead of listing the reasons why he can no longer be the head coach, I will put out a short wish list for his replacement. Guess what? Jason Garrett is not on the list. He's shown me nothing to suggest he would be a good coach for this team. Another team? Maybe. But not the Dallas Cowboys. Choice #1 would be Bill Cowher..I know, I know - some Cowboys fans would protest because of his Steeler affiliation, and Bill would probably refuse for the same reasons. But you've got to try when it comes to a coach of that caliber. Choice #2 would be Mike Shanahan. With his zone blocking schemes and undisputed success in the running game along with his knack for developing QB's he would be the perfect choice. The problem there, of course, is that Shanahan would want more control than Jerry Jones would be willing to give. Hmmm....maybe problem 1a should be Jerry Jones? That is for another article.

The Best NFL Teams as of Week 4

Who are the best two teams in the NFL right now? Its early in the season, week 4, so this is subject to change. And I'm sure I'll take some flack for this, but I don't care. Its only week 4. I reserve the right to change my opinion later, say around week 8.

I believe the best team in the NFC is the New Orleans Saints. Not because they are 4-0, but because their defense is finally showing up to support the stellar offense they've had for a couple of years now. They look pretty tough. I have the NY Giants as 2nd best in the NFC right now...and in about 2 more weeks I might even be willing to push the Giants into that number 1 spot, it just depends how it goes. But right now, I would not want to face the Saints. Even when Drew Brees is not putting up outrageous numbers (which has happened a couple of times already, I know because he's on my fantasy team) they still put a beat down on their opponents.

I believe the best team in the AFC is the Baltimore Ravens. Yes, I know they lost yesterday to the Patriots. Yes, I know the Colts are 4-0. But its almost the same thing as the Saints in reverse. Now they finally have a great offense to go along with that stellar defense they've had for all these years. I'd probably list the Colts as 2nd best in the AFC right now.

I'm not saying that these 2 teams will meet in the Super Bowl...I'm just saying that as of week 4 these are the 2 teams I would least want to play if I was an opposing coach. We'll see how the rest of the year plays out.

Michael Crabtree - Dumb or Dumber?

What is going on with this guy? Who is advising him? Man this guy is a Diva with a capital D. (The D, coincidentally, also stands for dumb) He makes TO look like the model of humility.

I don't want to make this sound like a personal attack, which is why I call into question the people that are advising him. I understand he got drafted later than he wanted to, which by the way, according to reports I've read, can also be traced to his actions and speech based on the people that are advising him. But, how can you demand the money you would've made IF you were selected earlier...when you WEREN'T selected earlier? He's going to turn down 16 million dollars because he thinks he's going to have the career of a top 3 pick? Let's clarify something. Most top picks turn out not to be worthy of the money and get lower deals later once the first contract runs out. If he is so confident that he's going to be a star, why not wait and then demand top tier money later, which is the opposite of what most athletes are fortunate enough to do.

Perhaps the dumbest thing about this, and its hard to get dumber than leaving 16 million dollars on the table, is that he is supposedly willing to sit out the entire year and re-enter next year's draft. Are you kidding me? The reason you slipped so far this year is because of your arrogance and poor attitude. There's no way you go any earlier next year, which also means you won't make more money. This is so stupid on so many levels. Man up and play football!

I am becoming increasingly disenfranchised with professional athletes because of cases like this. I was rooting for Crabtree until now. Now...I don't know. I never would want any athlete to see his dream fail or to suffer a career ending setback. However, I wouldn't feel very sorry for Crabtree if he didn't get drafted at all next year or if he played but was a bust.

If there is even the remotest chance that Crabtree checks the blogs for articles about himself (which given everything I've seen and heard, he probably does but probably doesn't care what people say) I have a message: Whoever is advising you and encouraging you to think of yourself as the best, being larger than the game and deserving of this extra money you are trying to extort, even if it's a family member or close friend, they are not doing you any favors. They are ruining your career and may be ending it. Which do you love more; the game, the fame or the money? If you love the game, then get out there and play, the rest will follow.

LeGarrette Blount - Fair or Foul?

By now everyone has probably seen the sucker punch Oregon's Blount laid on Boise State's Byron Hout. Oregon laid the hammer down on this NFL prospect. He is suspended for the rest of the year (this is his senior season by the way) including any postseason games. Meanwhile, Hout, who actually was the instigator of the incident itself, was not disciplined at all. Now, the University says that he is being disciplined internally. However, he's not missing any games and the only thing I've heard is that they plan to talk to him to make sure he understands the ramifications of this event. In layman's terms that pretty much means there is no discipline.

My take on the discipline to Blount is that it is definitely foul...although I do think that it is good for him as a person to experience this. Let me explain. Blount was not out to cause trouble that night. He was on his way to the locker room when Hout came across the field, seeking him out so that he could yell in his face. Which he did. He also made contact with Blount, tapping him on his shoulder pad. Blount then responded poorly, he went after him and as Hout's coach was trying address him, Blount cocked him in the jaw sending the big man to his knees. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it. Some of Boise's fans began heckling Blount and he had to be restrained to prevent a possible melee in the stands.

The NCAA itself cannot really enforce any rules on this kind of matter so it is up to each University to determine appropriate punishments. In my mind, 3 or 4 games would've been fair. Maybe even 6 games. But the whole season including bowl games? This is a young man with legitimate NFL aspirations. I don't think that many other Universities would've responded so harshly. We know that Boise wouldn't have. After all, their guy instigated this fight and there are no repercussions to discuss in his case.

But I will say this. As a person, this might end up being one of the best things to happen to him. Unfortunately, elite athletes today are given the silver spoon treatment from the moment their pop warner coach figures out how much the kid's talent will advance their own careers. These athletes naturally begin to feel invincible and untouchable which only promotes undesirable behavior. Even before this incident there have been situations that called his character into question. More and more the NFL, under the direction of Roger Goodell, is concerned about character as well as talent. This suspension will cost him draft position and therefore money, but it may help him build character as a person which is priceless.

To Oregon's credit, they are not kicking him off the team. He is still invited to practice with the team and participate in other team activities. If he's smart he'll take the high road here and continue to be a part of this team. He'll go to anger management counseling and other things that will help allay any fears that potential NFL suitors may have. He'll go into the combine next year and when interviewed by teams he'll say how much this experience humbled him and made him a better person and maybe even a better football player. He'll convince them that nothing like this would ever happen again with him. If he does that, he doesn't have to worry about being a victim of circumstance. The ball has been served...its in his court now.