Well, the losing streak has ended. [Insert smilie face emoticon.]
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How did they blow that game last week? Nope, still not "over it"...nor the Detroit game for that matter. Anyway...
The downside? Writer's block. Last week, as the team self destructed and I was stuck watching updates on my phone, the script for my blog was being written for me by the team with the stars on their helmets. Today, I could unabashedly celebrate the victory, but I am usually more pragmatic, especially with this team, and I do not really know what I should write about? Pragmatism?
How about I remain realistic, yet allow myself to enjoy today's (it could be the last for a while) (see "pragmatic" mention above) win and share some random thoughts in no particular order:
- Mike S. did not text me until late in the 4th quarter. I did not hear from him after the game and my phone call went unanswered. After a loss, I wonder if the local law enforcement agencies in his town should be placed on suicide alert. Today, after a dramatic win, I wonder if he 1) had a heart attack and needs assistance or, 2) is weeping uncontrollably and cannot speak to anyone.
- Was that a BALANCED offensive attack that I witnessed today? I love the stat they always throw up regarding the running game - how Dallas is undefeated when DeMarco Murray carries the ball more than 20 times. That same stat used to be used when Emmitt Smith was carrying the pigskin in Big D. It is one of the laws of football that if you are pounding the ball on the ground, you are probably nursing or protecting a lead and trying to run down the clock. This Cowboys team, for the past several years, have not subscribed consistently to that plan, and the result of that folly was demonstrated last week in epic fashion. So, I will contradict myself by saying that statistic is more relevant for these shoot-and-shoot Cowboys than the teams of the past. The moral of the story is, "Run the football more."
- A bit more on what I will call "run abandonment." Maybe I am slanted or biased, but, for a while now, it seems like if the first two or three run attempts that Dallas tries are not significant gains, the team turns to the arm of Tony Romo for the rest of the day. Hell, even if the runs are significant, they turn to the arm of Romo. The run sets up the pass in this league. That lesson was learned by teams wearing leather helmets. Why is it a struggle to learn it now?
- The defense is still in need of help. Mike S. used the term, "Bend but not break," last week. Um, sorry Mike, but that is a compliment that cannot be paid to this squad right now. Choose your own cliche..."Break but not not play?" "Break but no really bad compound fractures?" I give the squad, decimated by injuries, credit for the effort, but they do get shredded a lot, even in winning games. There is really no solution at this point aside from luck and hustle.
- I think Miles Austin's quiet return from injury is setting him up for a big game against Philly. Fantasy team owners, take note. You heard it here first.
- I watched today's game in a sports bar with the audio turned up for the Dolphin's game. However, I heard both a radio and television announcer refer to Dan Bailey as, "automatic" last week. A Cowboys' writer tweeted, during last week's game that Bailey had not missed since week 4 against the Chargers. Ugh. Really? You do not sit next to a pitcher in the dugout when he is working on a no-hitter. I do not even want to go into the scenario of the possibility of a last-minute-game-winning field goal for next week. Nothing in sports is automatic except for gravity. There is that pragmatism again.
- Last thought...pragmatism once more...speaking of next week...I know the goal is to get into the playoffs and Dallas must beat Philly next week to get in. However, I think I am better off preparing for a season finale and/or realizing that, if Dallas does enter the post-season, it is going to be a difficult road to anywhere but the off-season.
-Todd Vorenkamp
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