That’s how any Cowboys fan is feeling right now. It’s never an easy proposition to win in Philadelphia, but this game was just ridiculously bad. Four fumbles — all lost and two returned for touchdowns —by the Cowboys was about as sloppy as I’ve ever seen them play. And I was a fan during the Quincy Carter era. It’s fairly obvious that this team needs a disciplinary coach at the top of the totem pole and not a softie like Wade Phillips. There shouldn’t be receivers calling for more looks every week and there shouldn’t be players yapping at each other on the sidelines after miscues. I don’t care what Jerry Jones has said about Phillips’ status for next year, he has to go.
The lone bright spot of my day was the Dolphins’ triumph over the Brett Favre’s Jets, meaning the 11-5 Patriots won’t be in the post-season like my Cowboys. I’m actually a bit surprised nobody has brought up the Madden jinx yet regarding Favre’s and the Jets collapse; cover boys are usually in blogosphere cross-hairs more often than not. And if you tell me that Favre wasn’t playing through some sort of shoulder problem, well you’re an idiot. I found it quite surprising that the Jets gassed the Great Mangini after missing the playoffs. It’s not his fault that Favre fell apart.
And what a sight the weather was at Ralph Wilson Stadium, just outside of Buffalo. Both uprights were slanted at a 45 degree angle due to the crazy strong wind, but the oddest thing was that one was bent towards the East while the other was bent towards the West. I never would’ve thought that kind of swirling wind could happen.
Even worse news for the Pats and their loyal fans that Tom Brady’s knee is doing so hot. I’ve even heard that he’s on a fluid bag every second day to help it heal and stave off infection. It’s hard enough for QBs to come back from a devastating knee injury like his and these setbacks might have New England questioning Brady’s future with the team.
Speaking of concerns at QB, after watching Big Ben get crumbled by two Browns yesterday and seeing him lay on the field for 15 minutes, the Steelers better be thankful they have a bye week for Roethlisberger to shake off that concussion.
Then there’s last and certainly least, the Detroit Lions. It’s nice to see that they didn’t give up on their fans and actually went through the season winless — making history in the progress. This is truly (and obviously) one of the worst teams assembled in any sport and as much as pro teams are getting closer to excellence (Patriots last season), the bottoms are falling out to match. I guess the price you pay in a balanced league is lower lows to go with those higher highs.
Unsurprisingly, Romeo Crennel and Rod Marinelli were both fired yesterday. Fingers crossed that Wade Phillips is next but there are several guys on the chopping block ahead of him. I wouldn’t be surprised if three out of Jim Zorn, Marvin Lewis, Herm Edwards and Dick Jauron were all out of jobs within a week.
And what an improvement in picks over last season (below). By the way, it turns out when tallying my picks record week-to-week, I had actually forgotten to include two weeks. Further, doing the math, I’ve even misplaced a few games throughout the season, picking five less games than the possible 240 (remember, I don’t pick Dallas games). Anyway, a more than respectable .555 is great in my books.
This week: 8-5-2.
This season (2008): 126-101-8.
Last season (2007): 111-117-10.