“The Dallas Cowboys are the girl who was voted off American Idol somewhere in the middle of the season but not before flashing her tits at the judges then falling off the stage drunk,” opines You Go Live In Utah’s Amanda Cobra after yesterday’s capitulation to the Giants, calling her team’s shy, retiring owner, “the Colonel Parker of football.”
Everyone on the pregame show agreed that Jerry Jones must have suffered from some post-Botox dementia when he thought that it would be totally alright not to have a decent, young backup for Tony Romo.
Then, as Brooks Bollinger practiced passing straight to a Giants receiver on the sidelines, Troy Aikman defended Jerry’s choice by saying something like, “If you had asked me at the beginning of season whether or not it would be okay to have a 40 year old Brad Johnson as a backup just in case anything happened to Romo, I would have thought that would have been fine, in the event that Johnson would have to play two or three games while Romo got better.” Which is why Troy Aikman should not be allowed to make any major decisions regarding football or car dealerships.
The pregame guys were right. But it’s very easy to say that, being in the position (bottom of the NFC East) that the Cowboys are in right now. Had Romo not gotten hurt and had the defense and the offensive line not started to slip before the injury, I’m sure no one would be making a sound about the backup quarterback situation. But that’s why you get a decent backup quarterback. It’s the same premise as car insurance or a change of clothes in your carry-on. You pray you won’t need it but if the situation arises, you don’t look like an uninsured, pit-stained nightmare.
The Big Lead is a tad more optimistic about the near future in Irving, TX, citing a weak 2nd half schedule and uh…well, not much else.
* They own Wild Card tiebreakers over Tampa and Green Bay by virtue of head-to-head victories.
* Tony Romo is expected to return after the bye week.
* They still get San Fran, Seattle, and Baltimore at home, presumably all with Romo. That puts them at eight victories.
* The Giants, despite being 2.5 games up on Dallas, play arguably the most difficult second-half schedule in the NFL. No opponent the rest of the way has a sub .500 record.
All true enough, but it’s not just a matter of catching the Giants — though spotting the defending champs a 3 game lead with 8 games to go is a bit much. I wouldn’t expect the Cowboys to declare the season done and dusted, but it’s tough to presume Washington or Philly are due to fade, either.