Cowboys must weather the storm minus Romo;The stakes are too high

The season is on the brink and it has only been two weeks. WTF? Already without top receiver Dez Bryant, the Dallas Cowboys lost their star quarterback Tony Romo to a collarbone injury in the win against the Philadelphia Eagles. That is not the best way to start a Super Bowl or bust season for America’s Team.

The good news is that Romo will only be out for about eight weeks, but that is still a lot of games without your quarterback and number one receiving option. Now the offense is in the hands of Brandon Weeden. Did that make you reach for the noose next to your bed? Calm down and let me try to relax you a bit.

Yes, the Cowboys are about to go on a daunting stretch with Weeden trying to lead the offense. That is seven games that include both of last year’s Super Bowl participants, two division rivals and three teams that can hurt you if you don’t bring your A game.

Yes, the Cowboys are 6-9 without Romo since 2006 when he became the full-time starter.

Yes, Weeden has a terrible record as a starter and boasts a career quarterback rating of 73.4. Why the optimism? This 2015 Cowboys team is very good.

All the Cowboys need from Weeden is to get three wins at minimum while Romo is out with his injury. That would at least give the Cowboys a record of 5-4 going into the Miami Dolphin game on November 22^nd.

That is pretty doable, especially since the defense is playing lights-out, led by linebacker Sean Lee who is playing on another world right now. Lee had 14 tackles, two tackles for a loss and an interception. Right now, they are the third-ranked defense in total yards and number-one in rushing yards allowed. Just wait until Greg Hardy, Randy Gregory and Rolando McClain return in a few weeks, it could get scary good.

Also, the offensive line makes the job for Weeden much easier as he finally can get some great protection. It also helps the running game stay as dominant as it was last season.

All Weeden has to do is manage the team and become the ultimate bus-driver quarterback. The coaches will help by focusing on the running game and simplifying the offense. For Weeden, it is just about not making mistakes in the game.

“There is pressure on everyone in this organization," Weeden said. “So I am not going to put any added pressure on myself. I know what is at stake. I know we have a good team. So hopefully we can all rally and keep this going in the right direction."

Weeden knows his role and what it takes to get through the storm without Romo and Dez.

"We have a lot of weapons, a lot of good weapons," Weeden said. "So my job is to make it easy on those guys, let them do their jobs, get them those one-on-one matchups, and let them do what they do best."

To hedge their bet on Weeden, the Cowboys made a trade Tuesday to bring in veteran back-up quarterback Matt Cassel. They also promoted practice-squad quarterback Kellen Moore for some added depth. These moves ensure the Cowboys aren’t worried and will try to win it all this year. The stakes are too high.

The battle plan is simple. Win three to four games, keep running the football, play sound defense, play smart and don’t turn the ball over.

If Weeden and the Cowboys do that, the team will be ready for a great stretch-run when Romo and Dez make their return.

They have too. The stakes are too high this year.

Go to the freaking GAME! +Rangers and Cowboys thoughts

So you know the great debate about why aren’t people going to the Texas Rangers games? Yeah, I am on team go to the freaking game! Before Tuesday, I was trying to defend those who would choose to watch the game at a bar or at home. Some of the excuses would be with the heat, cost of tickets, food, drinks, and even parking. Thanks to Tovash Hatcher, my esteemed co-host on the Best for Business show, shown exclusively on Thursday nights on deepellumonair.com, I am now having a huge change of heart.

On Tuesday, Tovash treated me and our other co-host Walt for a game at the ballpark against the Houston Astros. He showed me that you can still enjoy the game and not spend a fortune to go to the game. First off, there are so many seats at very affordable options for everyone, ranging from as low as $8 to $65. The next complaint was the food and drinks and the high prices at the concession stands. Screw going there people, YOU can bring your own food. Only two ballparks in the country allow the fans to bring their own food and drinks into the stadium, Progressive Field and Globe Life Park. Bring a backpack and put in anything you’d like to eat or drink. As long as it is in a plastic bag or container, the attendant will allow it. On our outing to the ballpark, I brought in a foot-long sub with five water bottles. That was a game-changer for me. Parking was also very cheap to find, with $15 cash lots literally next to the ballpark.

The only issue for me is still the heat. If it is a day game and the temperatures are nearing in the 90s, people will suffer in the ballpark. If you aren’t a hardcore fan, why put yourself through that? I am still a proponent of building a roof over Glove Life and that should happen quickly. Other than that, go to the freaking games! They are fun, relaxing and the team is GOOD.

Rangers 1^st place!

How about those American League West-leading Texas Rangers! On Tuesday, the Rangers beat the Astros to take first-place in the division for the first time since April. It was also just a couple of months ago that they were nine games back out of the lead. I will be the first to admit I was wrong about this team. General Manager Jon Daniels fixed the bullpen and added an ace to the rotation which has paid-off dividends. With Manager Jeff Banister just hitting all the right buttons with the lineup card, the Rangers seem to be a threat to a lot of teams in the AL. Can they win the World Series? Maybe not, but they are going to be a real fun to watch in the playoffs. Let’s just hope they can get in with a division title and not play in the dreaded wild-card sudden death game. Those are too nerve-wracking.

Cowboys win, but also loose.

So it was brilliant to see Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo lead a game-winning drive yet again, but should they have been that position in the first place? It was so nauseating to watch multiple receivers, including Dez Bryant drop such easy passes. The sloppy play and lack of execution is a trait of a team that is young and raw, not of a contender. It also didn’t help seeing three very important players go down with injuries.

The Dez Bryant injury is the one that is making all the headlines, but I honestly think we will be fine in the short-term. I believe Dez will be back by the time the Cowboys host the Seahawks on November 1^st. Until then the Cowboys have to whether the storm and win three out of the next five games. Standing at 4-2 for the stretch run is a very good position to be in. The more concerning injury for me is the high-ankle sprain that rookie defensive end Randy Gregory has. He is playing lights-out and it sucks to have him to sit out for a month. With no Greg Hardy for the next three games, it is going to be tough to generate a pass rush. This will be essentially the same starting defensive line the team had last season. It will be up to the offense to help carry the load once more, but it won’t be as easy as it was in 2014. You had two guys named Bryant and Murray helping a lot in that scenario.

It is time to see how elite Tony Romo can be.

Remember to watch and listen to Best for Business on deepellumonair.com Thursday nights 8-11 p.m. CST. I am also on the deepellumonair.com Dallas Cowboys post-game show with former Cowboys Tashard Choice and Cory Procter. Same website, 15 minutes after every game, you will love it!!!

We should all tell Tony Romo, I love you

All the hype and expectations for the 2015 Dallas Cowboys season was fading pretty quick Sunday night. With less than two minutes left in the game, the New York Football Giants held a 23-20 lead and was driving to the end-zone. The Cowboys lost their All-Pro receiver to a foot injury and the offense couldn’t execute when it mattered most. A 0-1 start was facing the Super Bowl contending Dallas Cowboys.

Then football happened.

After the New York Giants decide to go for a pass on third down and miss, they settled for a field goal. It left the Cowboys with just a minute and 29 seconds on the clock, with 72 yards to get into the end-zone.

Then Romo-magic happened once more.

On the final drive, Romo completed five-out of-six passes including the game-winning touchdown pass to veteran tight-end Jason Witten. It was vintage Romo. With 11 yards to go, Romo has to quickly pick up a snap that hits the ground, looks down towards Witten who was streaking across the goal-line. Romo fires the ball right between the numbers as Witten makes a nifty move to push off the linebacker.

Touchdown!

“You gotta have poise in random situations,” Romo said.

It shouldn’t have come to that. The game was a hot mess for the Cowboys all night long. Too many times did we see the running backs not hit their holes right or pick up the extra-few yards. Too many times did receivers drop perfect passes and let the ball carelessly fall into the Giant’s hands. The Cowboys dominated this game in all statistical categories except for turnovers and for most of the game, the scoreboard.

Now with receiver Dez Bryant out for possibly the next five games, the Cowboys have to really step it up on the offensive end. Once they play more challenging opponents, it will be crucial that they execute.

But even with all the negatives in the game, there was one shining example that showed as long as Romo is quarterback, the Cowboys have a chance.

He finished 36-of-45 for 365 yards and three touchdowns. He completed 80 percent of his passes and added another storybook finish to his resume. Romo a choker? Not even. This man has shown us time and time again he is one of the best damn quarterbacks in the game. If you lead your team on two touchdown drives to get back the lead without your top-receiver, you have to be great.

While the offense tinkers for next week, let’s all take a second to embrace number 9. We are all witnessing something truly special. We should all take a cue from Witten, Romo’s best friend since 2003, who had some words for him after the game-winning throw-and-catch.

“We were full of emotions, I think there were a couple of I love yous in there,” Witten said.

Well said Witten.

It is time for the NFL to clean up their mess, starting with Goodell

The owners of the National Football League are super lucky that this country is in love with watching football. Everything but the on-the-field product seems to be crumbling and the commissioner is always at the center of it.

After dealing with concussions, domestic abuse and Deflategate, the NFL was rocked with another scandal that erupted Monday. According to “Outside the Lines”, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was behind another cover-up with the New England Patriots, this time concerning Spygate.  The report states that after Goodell handed out the fines and sanctions to the Patriots for spying on other team’s signals, he ordered the destruction of multiple videotapes and paperwork that linked the team to the act. League sources then said that Deflategate was Goodell’s way of making up for the mishandling of Spygate. You can read the full report here: 

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/13533995/split-nfl-new-england-patriots-apart

Wow. This is just getting ridiculous. Maybe Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was right about the NFL being a pig being ready to be slaughtered. It is getting too big and powerful and corruption is everywhere. The sad thing is that it is the same problem over and over again. No accountability is really felt for anyone on the power structure.

Usually after a company’s CEO would deal with any kind of embarrassment, the board members would take action and find a replacement. The problem is that the NFL’s board, “the owners”, loves the fact that Goodell is making them a lot of money. According to “CNN Money.com”, the league brought in an estimated $12 billion in revenue sales, a 14.3% jump from the previous total of $10.5 billion. It is very clear that the NFL has one-clear motive and that is to make money. That is a sad reality.

Yes, the league is a corporation and they should focus on making money, but at what cost? They already tried to cover-up the dangers of concussions and skirted the importance of dealing with domestic violence. Now they are willing to sacrifice the integrity of the game? It is the only thing left for the fans who truly love football.

 It is time for the league to stand up and clean their mess up. They will continue to make money no matter what. We love football, as long as the game is not ruined, the fans will flock to stadiums and their television sets. It is time for the owners to make safety, domestic violence, the integrity of the game and general decency the top issues on their agenda.

The final task the owners must complete is to replace the Commissioner now. He may be trying to protect the shield, but he has clearly lost control. Sometimes it is best just to pour water over the problem, mop it up, and start all over. Let’s get back to football people.

Concerns over Cowboys' running backs rising

A lot of people panicked when running back DeMarco Murray left the Dallas Cowboys for the Philadelphia Eagles in the off-season. I didn’t panic. When the Cowboys didn’t draft a replacement back in the draft, the fans and the media alike were worried. I again wasn’t worried. As training camp started, people weren’t comfortable with the idea of a running back committee of Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden, and Lance Dunbar. I again was comfortable with the idea of the three-headed monster at running back. Yet, as the pre-season ended and the news the Cowboys traded for draft disappointment Christine Michael, I started to get worried.

We are less than a week away from the start of the 2015 season and the Cowboys have some concerns with their running backs. While I was excited about the prospect of Randle and McFadden running behind this talented offensive line, I am started to have some doubts. My main concern is with Randle, who is expected to be the starter. The talent is there and I think with enough carries, Randle could break out to be a big star in this system.

The problem is his off-the-field issues and how much of a knucklehead he is. Remember last season when he stole cologne and underwear from a department store, or his domestic violence situation in Wichita, Kansas? While both situations were settled, it didn’t seem Randle ever learned from his actions. Now, it seems that another problem has occurred with the Oklahoma State back. Randle never showed up for the Cowboys Kickoff Luncheon and the team only said that the absence was excused.  Rumors started to run rampant about whether or not Randle might have been involved in another legal dispute. Nothing is confirmed, but the rumors became more rampant once the Cowboys traded for Christine Michael. That doesn’t really bring me some confidence that he can be the lead dog here in Dallas.

The next man up isn’t more comforting. Darren McFadden, who has been a disappointment ever since he entered the league, is trying to make a comeback. The talent is there and you some of that burst and acceleration in the Cowboys’ third preseason game. Yet, you have to wonder when he will go down with another injury. His tenure with the team has already been marked with two hamstring injuries.

Lance Dunbar is a good back, but he really is more of a change-of-pace back that will mostly be used in the passing game. Then you have your new toy in Christine Michael. Michael, who was traded to the Cowboys from the Seahawks in exchange of a conditional seventh-round pick, has a lot of “potential”.  Looking at his very limited highlight tape, you see why the Seahawks picked him in the second round in 2013. He has burst, great speed, and is a very skilled player in short-yardage plays. His major problem is fumbling the football and not paying attention to coaches.

The only thing that makes me feel better about this year’s rushing attack is the offensive line. They are arguably the best in football and can open up major holes for these running backs.

Remember, the goal is not to replace Murray, but his production. He had 1,845 yards last season on 392 carries. So between four running backs, they each need to have around 98 carries for 461 yards. That is very doable, but they have to stay healthy and stay out of trouble.

My worries won’t go away until we see them in action, but it is something that all fans should be paying attention too. It could be nothing and the Cowboys could be right by betting everything on the offensive line. If they are wrong, this offense might revert to being stagnant and the dreams of a sixth championship might have to wait until they get a capable running back.