Dallas Cowboys Wade Phillips to Return

Ed Werder published an article over at ESPN Dallas earlier today reporting that Wade Phillips will return as the Dallas Cowboys Head Coach next season. It is unclear whether Jerry Jones will sign Wade Phillips to a long term contract or just another 1 year deal, but I am sure that we will find out soon.

If you would of asked me 4 or 5 weeks ago I would have said that he should be let go, but that all changed once December started for me. Wade Phillips and the Dallas Cowboys shut up the critics by posting a winning record in December / January. The team also made the playoffs when most of the so-called experts wrote them off once again. The Cowboys won a playoff game this season, and Tony Romo looked great down the stretch. That said I think that this team needs to get rid of a certain red haired offensive coordinator. More after the jump!

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What was that Emmitt Smith? 7 and 9?

The Cowboys gave more reasons why Emmitt Smith is not in the broadcast seat anymore. First let me start off by stating that Emmitt Smith is hands down the best Cowboys running back of all time. I will follow that up by saying that he really needs to keep his mouth shut. Not only has he been laughed out of every broadcasting job that he has held, but at the beginning of this season he called out his former team the Dallas Cowboys. In case you need a refresher or just a good laugh here are some of my favorite quotes from the former Dallas Cowboys running back:

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DFW Hot Button: Dallas Cowboys Jerry-Tron / Scoreboard Do Over Rule

(This is the first edition of a new feature here at DSF that we are calling the “Hot Button.” We are calling it that for two reasons. First, because it will involve me or someone else analyzing an important, potentially controversial topic that is germane to Dallas sports discussion. Second, and perhaps most importantly, it is sponsored by our good friends at American Button Machines, the button maker capital of the Internet. See the connection? I figured you would. Now onto this week’s Hot Button…)

Scoreboard / Video Screen / Jerry-Tron Measurements:
• Largest high definition television screen in the world.
• Size: 160 feet by 72 feet | 49 meters by 22 meters | 11,520 square feet
• Resolution: equivalent to 1080p

The Dallas Cowboys Massive HD Screen or Jumbo-tron / Scoreboard has been quite the hot button topic in the media as of late. Is the screen high enough, some say yes (Jerry Jones included), and others are saying the Jumbo-tron needs to be raised. The NFL guidelines for this are that it must be at least 85 feet in the air, and the Jumbotron hangs at 90 feet. So, Jerry Jones, the Jumbo-tron, or the Dallas Cowboys should not be at fault because the NFL’s height requirements were not very well thought out. That said, instead of moving the massive HD screen up, which has been reported to make it inoperable the NFL has instead created a special rules.

Pro Football Talk / NBC Sports has announced that the new rule for the Jumbo-Tron / Scoreboard at Cowboys Stadium is as follows:

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An early look at Cowboys Stadium

A lot has been said about Cowboys Stadium, both good and bad, but to be inside of “Jerry World” is, for lack of a better word, awesome. The sheer enormity of the place has to be seen to be believed.

Levels upon levels of seating rises to the ceiling, interspersed with four rows of luxury suites and vast open areas at each end. The enormous high-def screens look like they were air-lifted in from Times Square. Friendly staff, clean concourses, impressive array of concessions, you name it, the new Cowboys Stadium has it.

The worst part is the traffic getting in and out of the stadium. Especially with the construction around I-30 right now, getting into the place can be a real beating. Arriving early cannot be stressed enough.

I experienced this firsthand at the Chelsea-Club America contest yesterday, as it was a real pain just to get into the place. $20 cash parking was being offered for spots that were 5-10 minutes away in the lots of churches, gas stations and wherever people could set up to make a buck off of fans.

I’m not complaining about the stadium itself; Cowboys Stadium has to be one of the most fantastic places to see a sporting event in this country.

However, I wonder about a few things.

First, will the stadium even sell out every game? In all likelihood, yes. Especially this first year and with the Cowboys still a threat to challenge in the NFC. Still, this is a tough economy the team is trying to sell seats in. As far as I know, luxury suites for Cowboys Stadium are very available, and it was evident last night. I would be surprised if there were 25% of the total suites filled in the place. Granted, the event last night was only a soccer game. But it was still a soccer game between two of the most famous and skilled teams in the world, and there were about five to ten suites filled per row, with four rows of suites.

Second, will the Cowboys have any chance at a form of home-field advantage? Hell-to-the-no. In reality, it might even be a disadvantage for the Cowboys to play at Cowboys Stadium. First of all, the Cowboys, especially in the past few years, had not had much of an advantage at Texas Stadium, so I don’t think Cowboys fans can have the reputation of being great fans like those in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Denver, just to name a few. Secondly, Cowboys Stadium was not made to attract the die-hard Cowboys fan that’s going to cheer the Star forever. It was made to be the cool place to be. Quite frankly, all sporting events are becoming like that.

NFL and NBA games matter in our culture much more than MLB and NHL games do, so they’ve been struck more by the plague of hipfan. What is hipfan? Well that’s what you call a person or people that only cares about a sports team because it’s hip, not because they love the team.

Cowboys Stadium is hipfan mecca. While it is awesome in almost every single way, real fans need not apply.

Third, and lastly, is the stadium too big? The 2010 NBA All-Star Game will be played at Cowboys Stadium. Will the whole stadium be opened to the public? Doubtful. But even so, there’s no reason to go and sit anywhere above the second deck. I could barely see the soccer game from the highest row of suites, and a soccer field might be the biggest athletic field out there. A basketball court? There’s no reason to look down at what are basically ants playing basketball. You’ll just look at the TV.

And that brings me to my final point about Cowboys Stadium. Most people can’t afford to sit in the seats in the lowest section, or even the second lowest section. The seats that are even in the same ballpark as affordable are the ones that are in the corners scraping the rooftop. From that high? You can barely see the players. The screens are, in every way, the best way to watch a game.

In short: You are going to a sporting event in order to watch it on TV.

That’s what Cowboys Stadium is, frankly. A giant sports bar with kick-ass TVs that just so happens to actually have the game going on.

There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m just not so sure that it’s actually good for the Cowboys.

Check the Stadium out in person: Dallas Cowboys Tickets as low as $45 at StubHub!

Stadium pic: http://sportsbusinessdigest.com/cowboys-stadium-names-jerry-jones-field/

Dallas Sports Offseason Update

Still no Pacman for the Cowboys, still no losses for the Longhorns

Distractions, distractions. The US Open odds aren’t offering anything thanks to the rain, and Dallas sports fans probably want to get their minds off the Rangers with the injuries piling up, so it’s time to focus on the offseason for other Dallas teams.

The Dallas Cowboys

There’s a new wildcat in town. Last week, Patrick Crayton was taking snaps in the Cowboys’ version of the wildcat, the “Razorback.” Now, it’s Tashard Choice. He proved he can handle starting halfback duties as an injury replacement but is buried behind Marion Barber and Felix Jones on the depth chart, so the Cowboys are seeking a way to get him involved.

With cornerback Anthony Henry gone, the pressure is mounting for Jerry Jones to bring back Adam “Pacman” Jones to help the secondary. As of last week, however, Jerry Jones still denies that the Cowboys have any plans to re-sign him.

The Dallas Mavericks

No major news to report here, unless you’re excited to learn that Mark Cuban was named the MVP of the Reebok Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game after hitting a tiebreaking two-run double to lead his team to victory.

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Dallas Cowboys Release Adam “Pacman” Jones after Allegations of Atlanta Shooting

Today the Dallas Cowboys released the troubled cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones after just one season with the team. The Cowboys will not suffer a salary cap hit, and will receive two draft picks from the Tennesee Titans, Jones’ former team.

Adam Jones, who had been suspended for all of last season, was reinstated to the league at the beginning of this season after being involved in a shooting at a Las Vegas strip club, however he was suspended again after a fight in a Dallas hotel.

The release of Adam “Pacman” Jones, apparently comes after the Cowboys recieved information that the player was allegedly involved in a second shooting incident, this time in the Atlanta area. According to ESPN, Jones allegedly ordered the shooting of a man outside of an Atlanta strip club. While charges have never been filed, a witness said that Jones had a dispute with the victim and ordered the hit. Police are not actively investigating the case.

This history, coupled with a lack of production on the field, was apparently too much for the Cowboys. Pacman was supposed to be a play-maker for the Dallas Cowboys and provide a strong cornerback presence along with a dangerous punt and kick return game. Instead, the result was a six game suspension and less than 100 yards in returns for the season.

It is amazing that Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys would wait this long to cut Pacman. The man was simply a liability. His cornerback play was average, and his off-field behavior was an embarrassment to the team. I seriously doubt that the Cowboys locker room benefited at all from his presence.

This begs an important question. Why does Jerry Jones insist on taking in troubled players in the hopes he and the Dallas Cowboys organization can change them. Adam “Pacman” Jones is just one of a number of idiots who have been brought in to the team. Terrell Owens, while he has been productive at times, is still causing plenty of turmoil within the team. Tank Johnson made a fool of himself in Philadelphia with a temper tantrum that would disgust a 4 year old.

Looking back over the 2008 Dallas Cowboys season, one of the many problems with this team was the unity and focus. Deon Anderson and Flozell Adams got into a fight, Terrell Owens complained about favoritism, and Bradie James assaulted a fan. It is clear that the attitude in this team was not a positive one, focused on winning a championship, or even representing the Star well. Instead, players were selfish and spoiled, more focused on having a good time and getting a paycheck. That Jerry Jones and Wade Phillips could allow such an attitude to prevail is disgraceful.

The Dallas Cowboys have always been America’s team. With players like Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, and a coach like Tom Landry, who dripped of sportsmanship, it is a complete embarrassment that Pacman Jones was even allowed to wear a Dallas Cowboys uniform.

Jerry Jones needs to evaluate his decision making. What made the Dallas Cowboys great was not winning, but winning with class. Tom Landry fostered an attitude of sportsmanship. The Dallas Cowboys are great because of a long-built and hard-earned reputation that can easily be lost in the next couple of years.

This is not an angry rant about how Jerry Jones treated Tom Landry, but Jerry Jones needs to remember the Dallas Cowboys of the past. It is important to find not only talented players. Players with a dedication to winning. Yes, Adam “Pacman” Jones is a talented individual, but his attitude for the past few years has been nothing short of complete selfishness. He should have never been picked up, and certainly never been reinstated after the 6 game suspension.

What will benefit the Cowboys most this season is a change in attitude. No longer should a player like Adam “Pacman” Jones be allowed on the team. Instead we need players committed to representing themselves and their team. Players who will leave it all on the field and take each loss hard. Players who hate to lose, but more importantly, players who hate the thought that they might embarrass the team. Behavior such as the type exhibited by Adam “Pacman” Jones should not be tolerated. Winning is important, but it is not everything. Playing with class is.

Do Cowboys, Jerry Jones Want Mike Shanahan over Wade Phillips as Head Coach?

So maybe the Dallas Cowboys‘ coaching staff is not, in fact, already in place.

Many Cowboys fans, and NFL fans in general, were surprised to hear Jerry Jones profess unyielding support for Wade Phillips in the wake of another December collapse by the Dallas Cowboys.

Immediately after the Cowboys laid a monstrous and putrid rotten egg at Philadelphia in Week 17, which was made all the more egregious by stories of the Cowboys treating the plane ride home like “the last day of school”, Jerry Jones made the following comments:

“The coaches are in place. I’ve said that. How can I be any clearer?” Jones said. “Look, I’ve said that our coaching staff, as far as I’m concerned, is in place. I just want to make the statement rather than answer questions, because your questions imply certain things that I don’t want to imply.

“I’m saying that when I look at where we are coaching staff-wise and when I look at where we are personnel-wise, I see a team that is in place to compete for several years.”

A little over a week later, reports are beginning to circulate that Jerry Jones may be slowly changing his mind.

According to a report posted today by Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk, Chris Mortensen of ESPN is reporting that Jerry Jones is getting “angrier by the minute” as he reflects on the disappointing 2008 Cowboys season. And making matters worse for Wade Phillips and the current Cowboys coaching staff is that a potential Hall of Fame coach has surprisingly become available for Jerry Jones to salivate over.

Last week, the Denver Broncos fired head coach Mike Shanahan. While Shanahan presided over his own precipitous collapse this season in Denver, and has only one playoff win in the last decade, he certainly has a more impressive head coaching resume than any other available head coaching candidate.

Shanahan is 146-98 in his head coaching career, good for a .598 winning percentage. He also has two Super Bowl rings, when Denver went back-to-back behind John Elway and Terrell Davis in 1997 and 1998. By comparison, Wade Phillips is 70-49 as a head coach, and has 22 out of 32 games in Dallas. Phillips, however, has not experienced any postseason success, going 0-4 in the playoffs.

Is it any wonder why Jerry Jones may be having second thoughts about keeping Wade Phillips in place as head coach?

Part of the reason why many people speculated that Jones would keep Wade Phillips and the current coaching staff in place is the assumption, as Florio explains at PFT, that Jerry Jones is “getting stretched pretty thin as he prepares to enter a $1.1 billion stadium in a bad economy.” Hiring a coach like Bill Cowher, at probably $10 million a year, probably was not all that attractive to Jones.

However, despite his lofty credentials and experience, Mike Shanahan likely would not require a huge contract considering he is guaranteed $21 million from the Broncos over the next three years.

Florio speculates that with Jason Garrett potentially moving onto a head job somewhere else, it could be an opportune time to bring in Mike Shanahan to revamp the offense, tutor struggling QB Tony Romo, and perhaps allow Wade Phillips to move to defensive coordinator.

I don’t know how realistic it is to think that Wade Phillips would accept a demotion, but a similar situation has also been rumored in Cleveland with former head coach Romeo Crennel. Both Crennel and Phillips are renowned as “nice guys” who lack the killer instinct and toughness and be head coaches; and both are purported to not be so driven by ego and pride that a step back to defensive coordinator is out of the question.

I know this: I was surprised to hear Jerry Jones be so vehement in his support for Wade Phillips. I realize that Jerry Jones has proven to be pretty loyal over the years, and likes to give head coaches at least three years; but after the Cowboys’ collapse with such high expectations, I figured Jones would blow a gasket and want fresh leadership heading into his new stadium.

Signing a coach with the credentials and reputation of Mike Shanahan would certainly create a big splash heading into the 2009 season. Jones may be confident that he has the pieces in place to have a successful team, but he has to be questioning the coaching leadership after another late season collapse.

Right now, it appears as if Mike-Shanahan-to-the-Cowboys is merely rumor and speculation. But stay tuned; and don’t be surprised if rumor and speculation quickly turns into legitimate, potentially franchise-altering story. Jerry Jones wants to win, and he wants to win now. Is there anyone who can posit an argument that the Cowboys would not be in better hands with a proven Super Bowl champion as head coach, as opposed to a glorified defensive coordinator who calls his own training camp “Camp Cupcake?”

Stay tuned Cowboys fans. So far, the Cowboys have not been included in the myriad coaching carousel stories floating around the NFL since the end of the regular season. If Jerry Jones’ reported anger continues to grow by the minute, the Cowboys could once again be right in the middle of the action.

And Mike Shanahan could be the new target of Jerry Jones insatiable yearly urge to create a big offseason splash.

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Sunday night update: The latest is the Cowboys are very interested in Mike Shanahan, but that the most likely timetable would be 2010.

The Rise of Felix Jones and Fall of Wade Phillips | Dallas Cowboys 2008

Well another Dallas Cowboys season is here and gone. To be honest I am not quite sure how to feel. I have to admit that I got caught up in the hype that started in August with Hard Knocks. I was not sure about a Super Bowl win, but was convinced that the Cowboys could at least get to the NFC Championship game. However, my hopes were dashed and now I am left dazed and confused.

As I look back on the Dallas Cowboys 2008 season, there are some positives to take away, but sadly, many more negatives. As an homage to the Cowboys season, I will start strong with the positives and taper off to the bitter negatives in the end.

The Positives

Last years draft class exceeded many expectations. Felix Jones, Martellus Bennett, and Tashard Choice were all extremely impressive in their rookie seasons. Felix Jones was and is the perfect complement to Marion Barber’s bruising running style. With a healthy Felix Jones in 2009, the Cowboys will have an extremely potent running game that can and will set the tone for the entire season.

The rise of Tashard Choice further enhances the running game. Now there is a proven back up who can take some of the load off of Marion Barber. This should prove extremely beneficial to the Dallas offense with Felix Jones and Tashard Choice getting enough carries to keep Marion Barber rested until the fourth quarter, when he has proven to be simply devastating to the opposition. Supported by our big offensive line, the Cowboys rushing attack should be one of the best in the NFL next season.

For more proof that Tashard Choice is the real deal, here is a video of Choice before a Georgia Tech game. If this does not inspire you, nothing will.

Martellus Bennett also showed his true colors this season. I will be the first to admit I was wrong about Martellus. Watching Hard Knocks, I thought Bennett would prove to be a major bust, however his on-field contributions more than made up for his attitude during training camp. Martellus Bennett should grow into his role as the back up tight end with ease.

The defense stepped up in the clutch towards the end of the season. While the two long runs given up against Baltimore were a step backwards, and the entire game against Philadelphia should only be mentioned in a hushed whisper, December was a pretty good month for the Dallas D. Demarcus Ware and the defensive line were playing like men possessed. The good news is most, if not all the defensive starters will be back for next season, meaning that, on top of a potent running game, the Cowboys defense will be one of the strongest in the NFL.

There is some upside looking ahead, but now comes the moment of truth…

The Negatives

From Pacman to TO, from passing to coaching, there are numerous problems with the 2008 Dallas Cowboys that simply cannot be ignored by Jerry Jones.

To start slowly, Jerry Jones trading for Roy Williams has proven to be a big mistake for this year. His numbers were basically non-existent. I have heard whispers that Roy Williams was injured and I will hold off on judgement for now, but he has got to step up next year, and quickly. Roy Williams is the future of the receiving corps, but who knows if that is good or bad yet.

Tony Romo is still not good in the clutch. He still has not won “the Big One.” not to say he won’t, but Romo is simply not performing to the level he IS capable of. He needs strong coaching to improve his decision making, and the line needs to improve it’s pass blocking, but Tony Romo has plenty to work on this off-season.

Adam “Pacman” Jones is another mistake. There is no denying his God-given athletic ability, however his decision making, both on the field and off the field, is extremely questionable. His punt returns were average at best. I can only remember one return that went longer than 20 yards. His coverage could be better as well. Combine this with his off the field behavior, Pacman is proving to be more harm than he is worth. Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton both proved to be better returners than Pacman, Pacman needs a strong coach to not only keep him in line with his behavioral issues, but to help him harness his athletic ability and use it to good effect.

Terrell Owens is another controversial figure, and not without good reason. Terrell Owens is a constant whiner and a diva to boot. I am stating the obvious here, but TO needs a wake up call before his ranting and crying prove to be even more of a distraction than they are now. I am not calling into question Terrell Owens’ ability, or his desire to win. He has proven himself to be a competitor of the highest order. What I am saying is that, like with Pacman, a strong leader in the Cowboys organization needs to step up to Terrell from time to time and simply tell him to “Shut up and play.”

Terrell Owens needs to do just that. He has made some great catches this year, but he has also dropped some really easy balls. He has taken plays off. There is a real lack of consistency. He is a competitor. He is not too old to play at a high level. Owens simply needs someone on his back a little bit. Somone to tell him when to pipe down and someone to keep him accountable on every play. Given Terrell Owens personality, this figure cannot be another player, Owens is too much of a diva. A strong coaching staff is needed to keep an ego such as Owens in check. He is a great player, and has plenty to offer this team, but Terrell Owens needs a strong authority figure to keep him on the straight and narrow.

Which brings us to the final negative of the Dallas Cowboys, the authority figures. I use that term lightly because, truth be told, there is no authority figure. There was no real locker room leader, the coaching staff was weak, and Jerry Jones is simply out of his mind.

There was no real leadership within the team. Zack Thomas and Jason Witten both led by example, but that was it. Zack Thomas, as a proven veteran, certainly led the defense in a lot of ways, however, he was new to the team, and did not understand the atmosphere or culture of the Dallas Cowboys enough to be a true locker room presence. Jason Witten is a man-imal who leads by example, but he has been far too quiet. It is time to cash in on his reputation and become an active leader for the Dallas Cowboys. Bradie James is another leader who could step up, but he has been quiet too, except for assaulting a fan a day after the loss to the Eagles.

The coaching staff should not have to encourage a locker room voice. Wade Phillips is simply not a good head coach. He is too nice. He coddles his players too much, and this sets the tone for the rest of the coaching staff. Wade Phillips is a great defensive mind in the game of football, and will make an excellent defensive coordinator, but a head coach needs to keep his team under control.

Wade needed to have a stronger voice this year. He needed to hold his players and coaches more accountable. From the Pacman hotel fight, to TO’s meeting with the wide recievers and Jason Garrett, to a fight between Flozell Adams and Deon Anderson on the plane flight back from Philadelphia, Wade Phillips did not assert his authority, but instead let his players walk all over him. This attitude carried to the field where the Cowboys played many games uninspired.

The Cowboys need a coach who is not too hard on them, like Parcells was, but also not such a pushover, like Wade Phillips. Phillips allowed his coaching staff to be too soft. If Wade wants to be easy going, that’s fine, but a soft head coach needs to be supported by strong, assertive assistants. The same is true for a tough head coach, who needs easier assistants. There has to be an even keel. The coaching staff of the Dallas Cowboys was simply too soft. There is no hard edge to keep the players in line.

Which brings us to our last negative of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones. Jerry is a great owner, but he should not be the GM for another day. Sadly his ego will not allow him to relinquish his control, but if it did, I would guarantee a Cowboys championship within the next 2 years. Jerry Jones is too much of a micro-manager. This was not helped at all by the lack of a backbone suffered by Wade Phillips. It is clear that the Cowboys perform best when Jerry Jones keeps his ego in check and allows a coach to make the decisions.

While it is true that the Dallas Cowboys 2008 season is over and whining and excuses will not help, there are some critical issues that need to be addressed quickly in order to build off of the positives of this year. Otherwise, the Cowboys will continually underperform and we will see more losses like the one to the Eagles.

Cowboys Laughing, Acting Like “Last Day of School” On Return Trip From Philadelphia

I just got to the office on this beautiful December Monday morning, and I have to admit that after yesterday’s 44-6 loss to the Eagles by the Cowboys, I was looking forward to today’s drive. Everyone down here in Dallas is going to be in such a tizzy over how poorly the Cowboys played, for an outsider and (some might say) Cowboys hater, it will be fun listening to the Cowboys get raked through the coals for their awful performance.

After watching some of the game — I’m a Dolphins fan, so the Dolphins-Jets game took precedence — I thought things could not get any lower for the Cowboys. But in the time since the game has ended, two stories have emerged that have shown that things very well could, and did, get lower.

First, there was the report that Tony Romo collapsed in the shower, which I posted about last night.

Then, there is the story that I just heard on 1310 The Ticket here in Dallas this morning while driving in. Norm Hitzges was manning the morning slot today, subbing in for the Musers and Gordon Keith. While Norm Hitzges can be something of a downer and is prone to attacks of hyperbole, he knows his football and I was excited to hear his perspective on the Cowboys-Eagles massacre.

What I was not prepared for was the report by Mark “Friedo” Friedman about his experience flying home on the Cowboys charter after the Eagles game last night.

According to Friedo, the Cowboys charter was not the sad, sullen, and despondent scene that one might expect. As someone who grew up around college football, and saw many a post-loss locker room, bus, and plane, I can say with certainty that my expectation would have been a pretty quiet and somber plane ride for the Cowboys. Not only did their season end with an absolutely horrific showing, but this was a team with “Super Bowl or Bust” aspirations coming into the year. I don’t care how much money you make, I would assume that if you take pride in your job and performance that it would be hard to recover from the pounding they took in Philadelphia.

Not so, according to Friedo.

He described the scene as “like the last day of school”, with dominoes being played in the back and lots of laughing and carrying on. He said that he was reluctant to say anything, seeing as how the Cowboys are nice enough to allow media members on the charter, and that only leads me to believe that he may have muted the reality of what was actually going on. Friedo did not mention any specific names, nor did he say if alcohol was flowing, but he made it pretty clear that if you did not know who won the Cowboys-Eagles game, you just might assume it was the Cowboys from their conduct on the plane.

When I first heard this, it shocked me. But after Norm and Friedo discussed it a little more, it sadly started to make some sense.

As they explained, many of the Cowboys players made over $100,000 just for the Eagles game. As I’m sure you know, NFL players get paid by the game. 16 game checks in total, each of which can be pretty exorbitant amounts when you are talking about contracts between $5-10 million per year. For a playoff game, each player would have received an additional $18,000 (I believe), which for many would be a huge step down in pay.

As hypothesized by Norm and Friedo, many NFL players view football as nothing more than a job. Why should they be expected to be excited about playing another game, and risking serious injury, for a mere fraction of their usual paycheck?

Hmm…let me see…

Perhaps because you are being paid so much money in the first place to help your team achieve its goals, which are to make the playoffs? Perhaps because your owner overpaid many of you in a go-for-broke strategy this year to make a run at the Super Bowl? Perhaps because you have professional pride? Perhaps because $18,000 is still a lot of money and more than you’ll be making now sitting on your ass during the playoffs!?!?!

Look, I understand the realities of the NFL. I realize that these guys are professionals and that football is as much their job and livelihood as practicing law is for a lawyer, or medicine for a doctor. And a lot of lawyers and doctors hate their jobs and do it just for the money. I get it. Kind of.

But football players are playing a game, a game in which passion and will can oftentimes be the difference between winning and losing. So part of your responsibility when you cash those $X00,000 game checks is to put forth a maximum level of passion, will, focus, and effort that enables you to maximize your individual talents and potential. Jerry Jones may not always make smart decisions, and he may bring lots of problems on himself, but no one has ever accused him of not taking care of his players or having their backs. How could the Cowboys players play like did on Sunday, let their owner down with such a putrid performance, and even look themselves in the mirror — let along act like kids “on the last day of school” on the charter.

Norm and Friedo were right: for many NFL players, they simply do not share the live-and-die mentality that many fans share with their teams. The sad thing is that players get paid such ridiculous sums of money because there are passionate fans who will watch TV, pay for tickets, buy merchandise, etc. Many of these fans were probably despondent in their recliners or crying in their beers after watching that pathetic performance Sunday night. One Cowboys fan who is a friend of mine called me and asked me to talk him out of hanging himself in the middle of the 3rd quarter. I’m not sure he was completely joking.

Am I making too big a deal of this? Maybe. Are most of the Cowboys players probably heartsick and frustrated at another December failure? Maybe. Do a lot of the players feel a sense of responsibility to Jerry Jones and the fans, and feel bad for letting them down? I sure as hell hope so.

According to Norm and Friedo, Tony Romo said after the game something to the effect of “It’s just a game. If losing a football game is the worst thing that happens to me, I’ll have a pretty good life.” And while that is a great perspective to have from a personal standpoint, and would sound great in a Hall of Fame or post-career speech, or even during an interview later in the offseason, fans don’t want to hear that right after the game. They want to know that you are suffering as much, if not moreso, than they are.

Unfortunately, it sounds like Tony Romo’s perspective was shared by the majority of his teammates.

And hearing this story in the immediate aftermath of the Cowboys loss makes it pretty obvious why the Cowboys are not playing in January and why a team like the Miami Dolphins still is. Do you think Dolphins players would be hooting and hollering on the plane ride home after a loss with Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano on the plane? I cannot imagine so. Those two men command more respect than that, and you know they would not be able to forget the loss so easily.

Do you think Chad Pennington or Peyton Manning can walk away from a loss thinking “it’s just a game?” I don’t know either of them personally, but I would wager that they have never once thought that in the immediate aftermath of a loss. Tony Romo gets the pub and the big contract, but Chad Pennington has been a more successful quarterback in December and is playing this year into January for a team that was 1-15 last year. Honestly, who would you rather have as your quarterback for next year?

There are 1,001 reasons why the Cowboys feel short of expectations this year. Friedo’s observation of their post-game conduct on the charter home was a pretty disappointing symptom of the disease of mediocrity that engulfs what many call the NFL’s most talented roster.

But that’s the beauty of the NFL, and why it is the most popular league in American sports.

Talent is only part of a very complicated equation of what makes a winner. Character, resolve, will, preparation, and pride are all equally as important. Watch highlights of Roy Williams running his routes yesterday and tell me he showed character, will, and pride? Listen to the excuses of Wade Phillips and tell me that he instilled a sense of resolve in his team, or adequately prepared his coaches and his players to play Philadelphia?

The Dallas Cowboys may have treated their plane ride like “the last day of school”, but for millions of Cowboys fans across the country, they were all forced to treat last night and today like what it really is: the last day of the season. And for the fans who are truly passionate, the ones whose ticket purchases and other monetary outlays pay the $X00,000 game checks, it will lead to a cold and frustrating Winter. If nothing else, even if the Cowboys players don’t really care themselves, you would think they would have enough respect for the fans and their owner to empathize and at least give the appearance of caring.

I thought 44-6 said it all. This morning, Friedo proved that just when you think the Cowboys players cannot care any less, or be less passionate or prideful about winning, they bust through the floor of expectations to reach a new low.

But hey, like Tony Romo said, it’s just a game right?