Romo is the Problem

Ehsan Azad

Romo is the Problem

            For those who know me pretty well know that I am one of the biggest Romo apologists out there. I still think he has the talent of a top ten quarterback in this league. But, after tonight, it had finally sunk in that he has no clutch gene in his body. He can’t win the big game. Tonight proved it to me and to the rest of the world.

Romo will be in his final year of his contract this summer and of course the Cowboys will have no choice but to re-sign him to a new deal. What choice do they have? There is not an Andrew Luck or RGIII out there in the draft that they can snag. They don’t have the cap room to go out and outright sign a bad ass QB in the open market. They are stuck with Romo. While I still think that he will do pretty well statistically next year and in the future, I just don’t see him going and hoisting that trophy at the end of the year. People can try to point out that he has a bad defense, a bad running game, or a sub-par offensive line, but in the end the constant is still Romo.

Take for example tonight’s game.  Tony threw three picks, including one that was late in the fourth quarter deep inside their own territory on a really bad screen. Terrible call from the beginning, but as a veteran QB he needs to know to change that play. Also, Romo had no zip in his ball and was too reckless with his throws. Give credit to Romo for leading them within 3, but his mistakes are what cost the game for him. You could blame the defense all day for allowing the Redskins to run up and down the field, but they still got a huge stop for the team to give Romo a chance to take the lead. In the end, Romo’s decision is what ended the season.

So the Cowboy’s hopes are in limbo yet again. They have to go with their QB now until the future one somehow appears. Jerry Jones doesn’t want to go back to the old days when they went six years without an heir to Troy Aikman. Romo will be extended and the Cowboys will say that they have their guy. But, in reality they will be searching high and far for the true heir to Aikman. All they have right now is Danny White’s heir.

Holiday Mash Up

Ehsan Azad

Holiday Mash Up

                I have been pretty busy lately and sadly I have neglected this column. When I decided to get back to work it was pretty hard to pick a single topic to discuss. So much has happened in the sports world it’s hard to decide what is worthy. So here is a mash up of my ideas and opinions that have no relevance on the sports world.  Enjoy!

The tragedy that occurred to the Dallas Cowboys has to be addressed first. My thoughts and prayers are out to the family of Cowboys linebacker Jerry Brown Jr. No one should lose their life that young, especially while in the middle of trying to achieve a dream most Americans have. Also, to Josh Brent, those who hate or criticize him for his actions may need to calm it down a bit. We act as we haven’t done what he is accused of. I know a lot of people drive home drunk and are lucky to even escape a DUI, let alone to be still alive. Josh Brent is human like us, and he made a terrible mistake in which he will live with the rest of his life. He didn’t want to kill his friend. In the end he will pay the price, but it may serve as a tool to help educate the rest of us that drinking and driving can never be tolerated.

                The Cowboys win over the Bengals was probably the best and most emotional game I ever witnessed in my short time becoming a Cowboys fan.  Watching you could tell that the death of a teammate surely was weighing heavily on their minds. Head Coach Jason Garrett used the word numb to describe the energy level of his players and he was right. But, the team rallied from 19-10 in the fourth quarter to win on a Dan Bailey field goal. The team should get a lot of credit for overcoming loosing a teammate the night before, playing a better opponent and rallying to beat them was just a perfect way to end what was a tragic weekend for the Cowboys.

                While the Cowboys celebrated a victory Sunday, they lost a player to injury. Dez Bryant, who might be having his best season this year, broke his left index finger late in the fourth quarter. He did later in that same drive catch a 27 yard touchdown pass. It was first reported that he would be out the rest of the year following surgery. Now, it seems he may delay surgery to play in a pivotal game versus the Steelers.  Who knows what may happen, but the Cowboys do need him, even if it risks his finger being permanently stiff. The Cowboys are still one game behind in the playoff race in both the division and the wild card. Dez playing down the stretch greatly increase the chances of success. He is clearly the best weapon the Cowboys have other than Witten and Demarco and the most with the big play making ability. If he plays, Dez will rewrite his image this season from immature punk to the play maker.

                My rule is never to watch Basketball fully until the month of February. Just doesn't make sense to tease myself with early season basketball. But, I happened to pay attention to this year’s Mavericks to see how they were with Dirk sidelined. Oh and last night I got my definite answer. They suck. OJ Mayo and Shawn Marion are doing the best they can, but man this team needs number 41 quick. If they continue on this pace, that sacred playoff streak is going to come to end fast. By the way Mark Cuban, re-sign OJ Mayo now. The dude can play.

Quick Rangers update. They haven’t done anything major yet. After they traded Michael Young, I was waiting for ESPN to break that they signed Zach Greinke. Then I was like OK, maybe they will trade for Justin Upton. Then I was like OK, maybe they will get one of another pitcher like R.A. Dickey or Anibal Sanchez.  Then I was like OK maybe Josh???  So far, nothing has happened, but Josh Hamilton could return. Yay? The front office better get another starter for this rotation, or they will be in trouble again next year. The offense has already lost Napoli and Young. I don’t have much hope for the Rangers now.

                My semi-Alma mater Texas Tech regained my faith and support of them this yesterday. After overrated Head Coach Tommy Tuberville resigned to take over at the University of Cincinnati, they hired Texas A&M’s Offensive coordinator and former Tech Quarterback Kilff Kingsbury as the next head coach. This surely made up for firing the Pirate Mike Leach. I have no problems with the move. Kingsbury is a Leach disciple and will return Tech to its old pirate swagger. Oh and he might be better than Leach, he just did get Johnny “Football” Manziel the Heisman trophy after all.

                Hope you enjoyed my random thoughts on the sports world. Now for a prediction, Cowboys beat Steelers 35 to 21. Now go make some money.

Keeping Hope Alive

Ehsan Azad

 

Keeping Hope Alive

 

                The Cowboys start every season with the proverbial Super Bowl promise to ramp up the fans into frenzy. The front office makes some splashy moves in the offseason and claim to have the best talent in the league. And come December those promises are broken and we hear what they can do in the offseason to make sure that next year they will fix it. Aren’t you getting sick of this pattern?

                Fans have given up on the endless cycle of high hopes and broken promises. And now in the middle of the nightmare of a season they look to burn the franchise down. From Tony Romo to Jason Garrett and even Owner/GM Jerry Jones is getting the blame for the team’s misfortune in recent years. Surprisingly, much of the blame is on Jones, who many fans think his dual role as owner and general manager are detrimental to the team. Accusations of him not being a football guy, and interfering with the coaching are leading to an unhealthy organization of power in the franchise. These fans even have gone to the extremes of petitioning President Obama to force Jerry Jones out of controlling the Cowboys. Aside from that being totally illegal and all, I think fans need to calm down and come to reason on Jerry Jones. Sure, he hasn’t done a hell of a job building the team up. He focused so much on the skill players over the years, the offensive and defensive lines have suffered and now they are in the worse shape in since the early Aikman days.  But, he isn’t a terrible GM. He has over 20 years of working in the front office, so he does know what he is doing. Also, he surrounds himself with a lot of top football minds that do help him make decisions on who to draft or pick up. Plus, it is a worthless argument to have. He is the owner, and as long as he is the owner, he will decide how to run things.

                So instead of just blaming people for the Cowboys’ nightmare of a season, I will help the fans keep some hope that is out there. First, they aren’t out of the playoff race yet. Sure, it is doubtful, but when all the wild card teams lost last week, the Cowboys found themselves only a game back of the other teams and with the easiest schedule. So there is a chance there. But, hope for a good pick in the draft and know that Jerry will fix this offensive line this year with the first few picks, and will also dip into free agency.  That is the only way I see the cowboys returning to its glory days. An adequate O-Line and some playmakers on the d-line will help the already talented team a contender once again. Jerry has a chance to save the day, which surely he will. He wants him some “glory hole” after all.

Turkey Day Shootout!

Ehsan Azad

Turkey Day Shootout

                It’s that time of the year again Cowboys fans. The weather is cooler, the leaves are falling off the trees, and the scents of Grandma’s pies are in the air. Thanksgiving is finally here, which means food, family and more importantly football. And the NFL schedulers have given the fans a feast this year when they pitted the hated Washington Redskins against the Dallas Cowboys in a Thanksgiving afternoon showdown. Before the season started, this looked like a normal gimmie game for the Cowboys, but recent events have made this the Game of the year for both teams.

RGIII! That name is haunting Cowboys fans today because he has become the real deal. The rookie QB is having a sensational season and leading resurgence for Washington. Forgot that he is the future of the franchise, he is the franchise in the present. This guy can flat out play with the best of them. He is coming off a near perfect game when he threw for four TDs and only one incomplete pass.  ON the season he has only 3 picks and has an outstanding QB rating of just 101! For a rookie, he is playing way out of his mind.  How does he do it? Well he is first one of the most athletic individuals in the NFL. Either with his blazing speed or his terrific arm, he can beat you in multiple ways, making him a nightmare for defenses. He might not have a lot of weapons around him, but he does make his teammates better when he is at QB. For the Cowboys D to have a chance to stop him, they need to apply a corral method with him. Simply blitzing him won’t get the job done, so you must have defenders not bite on his movements and contain him in the pocket. The Cowboys secondary will have to step up and give the pass rush some time to make Griffin make some bad decisions, something clearly he doesn't do.  Key player on Defense will have to be Brandon Carr. Santana Moss is the only threat they have at wide out, so if he can make sure he is shut down; it makes the pass rush much more lethal.

On offense, the Cowboys have all the talent in the world. That is if you don’t count the offensive line. As I mentioned in earlier blogs, Jerry Jones has failed his team by not protecting his QB. With Tyron Smith doubtful for the game, the O line could be in the worst shape possible. Three quality starters out of the lineup and the replacements that you saw gave up seven sacks will most likely be back again. Good thing the Redskins are just as battered on the defensive front. Their best pass rusher was lost for the season, but Stephen Bowman is still there and he is no cake walk. Luckily, there is a silver lining for the Cowboys. The Redskins secondary is one of the worst in the league. They have given up a bunch of big plays this season, and that could give Romo a chance to win. If Garrett can get some extra blockers in to protect Romo, it will give him enough time to pick the defense apart with two of the most explosive receivers in the game. Look for Dez Bryant to continue to rack up some big number.

                So, this Thanksgiving fill up on stuffing and turkey, and for a treat you will see the oldest rivalry in sports become renewed. But, don’t worry; Cowboys don’t make you lose your dinner. Cowboys win 35 to 24.

SKYFALL

Ehsan Azad

Skyfall

                Yesterday, the Cowboys had a chance to make a step in the right direction. With a convincing win over the lowly Browns, the team would continue to put the pressure on The Giants and make this a race. Well, they did win, but it took overtime and a Dan Bailey game winning field goal to make the dream stay alive. Should we celebrate that abomination of a game? Have the Cowboys fall so far from the top that this is an acceptable loss?

                We all know the great memories from the good old days of the Cowboys dominance. From Tom Landry to Jimmy, from Staubach to Aikman, America’s team had always risen to exceed expectations. That is why the franchise has five Super Bowl Championships and eight conference championships. But you don’t have to go that far to remember the good times. Even a few short years ago, the Cowboys were led by a young Tony Romo to the Number one overall seed in the NFC. They had expectations to do great things. Sadly, they didn't live up to those lofty goals, but at least they were in the hunt. Now, the expectations for this team have fallen so low that an overtime game over an inferior team is a cause for celebration. Tom Landry would be rolling over in his grave right now for seeing how low his team has sunk.

                I think it’s time to relinquish our high hopes for a Super Bowl every year. We have now been in the practice of over hyping talent on this roster for years and it’s finally getting kind of tiring to see the same old “process” every year.  I call for the overhaul of the organization and it seems time to bring in a GM. Jerry, I love ya, you are the best owner in Sports.  But, your GM decisions are starting to eradicate this team from within. I’m glad you have some awesome skill positions that you carefully picked. But, you forgot that teams win in the trenches and you are seeing the worst offensive and defensive lines in recent memory. A new GM will help focus the direction of the Cowboys. You will still get the limelight and maybe help stop the Cowboys from their Sky fall down into obscurity.  It’s your only chance to win.

Clique

Ehsan Azad

Clique

                There is no better joyful occasion when then Cowboys pull out a victory over a divisional rival. It’s better when the Cowboys win in a team effort over a division rival.

                Jason Garrett has preached to our ears about being competitive in all three phases of the game. Problem is that the team never could do what their esteemed coach wanted them to do. They would perform in one or the other, but all three was a pipe dream for this team.  Apparently someone passed the pipe around because the Cowboys responded in a season saving game with a TD in all phases of the game.  Tony Romo threw for two TDs and no picks, Dwayne Harries returned a punt 78 yards for a td, and Brandon Carr had a beautiful pick 6 in the rout of the Eagles. What a game!  Not perfect, but still satisfying.

Garrett looks to have his team playing at the right level and has them poised to make a run at the playoffs and quite possible the division crown.  New York, who enters their bye week, lost in a blowout to the Bengals. The remaining schedule looks easy for the Cowboys, as 5 of the next 7 are at home, with only the Steelers currently with a winning record. The NFC East is not far out of reach. But, the Cowboys have to continue to play like they did Sunday.  They don’t have to score on every drive and hold the opponents to zero, but efficient play will make the team a force to be reckon with in the NFC.  But, fair warning to all Cowboys fans, they have done this tease before. Does anyone remember what happened on opening night? Great start, bad season was the theme for 2012 campaign. So let’s not start getting the championship bandwagon started yet.

So when the Cowboys actually buy into this team mentality and approach the game to be as efficient as possible, they are destined for great days. When the team starts to break at the core, you will fine a lot of pissed off fans in the metroplex. Like Kanye says,” Nobody missing with his f*&%ing Clique.” Hopefully no one misses with the Cowboys’

Blame Game

Ehsan Azad

The Blame Game: Blue Star Edition

                The Cowboys lost again and now enter the game vs. Philly at a very disappointing 3-5. Sound the alarm; it’s time to play the BLAME GAME!

Another season seems wasted for Owner Jerry Jones as he looks at his mediocre team. The Dallas Cowboys take losing to another level. Other teams like the Browns or the Bobcats, they just lose in an acceptable manner and don’t rouse up the fan base. In Dallas, they like to play with their fan’s emotions. They simply love to loose in the most dramatic way possible. I’m sure the fans are sick of it by now because I know I am. But what to do? Who is blame for the problems on this team and what is needed to get America’s Joke back to the top of the mountain?

First to blame on most fan’s list since 2006, is none other than the Starting Quarterback Tony Romo. He is the lighting rod of opinion on if he is truly the next great passer in Dallas.  But especially with his turnover machine on full blast this season, more and more fans demand that we go in a different direction with Romo. I honestly think Romo is the least of the worries we have here. Sure, he is having his worst season as a starter. But, he still has much more value to you in the long run, then any free agent or draft pick that is not named Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. Romo is here to stay, and will give the Cowboys a fighting chance to open that championship window.

After the quarterback, the head coach gets a lot of heat for what has transpired here in the last two years. When he took over for Wade Phillips mid season in 2010, many thought his inspirational methods and his dedication to detail would make him the perfect head coach. He would be the one to rebuild the team slowly and make it a contender. But, now he is 16-16 and coaching a mediocre team at best. He doesn't seem to get his players to be disciplined and his own time management issues have helped him lose some crucial games last year. But, a lot of flak he is getting is for his play calling. I happen to agree with the fans on this one. Garrett is not a great play caller, especially when he is doing it on top of being head coach. He is no Sean Payton, who can call plays and be a walk around head coach. Garrett needs to give up his play call sheet and hand it to Callahan and focus on the overall team. Not only does it affect his time management of the game, but recently he has become so basic in his play calling that it has made this offense very predictable. Garrett needs to give this up, before Jerry Gives him up for Sean Payton.

Lastly, the fans pick to blame the all-powerful Jerry Jones. The Owner, President, and General Manager of the Dallas Cowboys is still vilified by fans who were disgusted by his firing of Tom Landry.  Now, they focus on his terrible record as GM of the team. Fans demand a new Gm that is a football mind and want Jerry to focus on the money aspect. This was the relationship that he had with Jimmy Johnson and helped spark them to 3 Super Bowl. Now, the Cowboys have only won one playoff game in the last 16 years. But, I can’t really agree with fans here. Sure, the team is somewhat flawed with Jerry calling the shots, but it’s his team and he won’t relinquish control until he dies.  So the fans really should focus on other things than GM Jerry. Plus, he hasn’t done bad recently in drafts. Morris Claiborne, Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, Bruce Carter are some of the recent picks that showed some sort of success on the team. Also, for you guys that love Bill Parcells so much, did you know that Parcells wanted to take Marcus Spears over Demarcus Ware in the 2005 draft? Jerry overrode that decision and selected Ware first and still picked up Spears later.  Not too bad for a pick.

Look the Team has its faults, but you got to ride out the season. There should be a lot of changed with this team, but if they fix the tiny problems and once again become dedicated to playing smart football, they have the talent to take them to the Super Bowl. Guaranteed. But that is a BIG IF.