Larry Brown #43 Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 If you think we've got things bad... Posted on Tue, Nov. 19, 2002 Cowboys' task now is obvious Jim Reeves commentary Star-Telegram Jim Reeves IRVING - Remember that line from the movie City Slickers, when Jack Palance's Curly holds up his index finger and tells Billy Crystal that "one thing" is the secret to life? "What one thing?" Crystal asks. "That's for you to figure out," Palance sneers. The Cowboys are facing the same predicament, but it's really no secret what "one thing" the rest of their season had better be about. Chad Hutchinson. Period. End of story. The Cowboys have to know, by the end of this season, whether or not there's a quarterback in town. They think they already know. They have an inkling that Hutchinson is the man. But by the time this dreadful season ends, they must know for sure. They thought they knew about Quincy Carter, too, remember? "We don't have to say that," Jones -- you can call him Curly -- answered when asked after Sunday's 20-3 loss at Indianapolis whether he'd seen enough to declare Hutchinson his "quarterback of the future." "But with what we've seen all year, with how he's improving and his work ethic, I think we've got a thumbs-up situation at this particular time. "I'm pleased we have the six games remaining, but everything we're seeing indicates he can not only compete in the NFL but help our team. It looks good at this time." I know what you're thinking. How can anyone say anything looks good based on the Cowboys' last two games? Hutchinson failed to lead the offense to even a single touchdown against Detroit two weeks ago or Sunday against the Colts, and has fumbled five times after being hit. There are legitimate questions about whether his release is quick enough and whether he's too immobile. Since the switch from Carter to Hutchinson, the offense has actually looked worse, not better. But Jones, Dave Campo and offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet are giving him the benefit of the doubt because of the team's horrible offensive-line play. "The only negative things [about Hutchinson] are that we're not winning or putting points up, and you'd say those are pretty negative things," Jones admitted. "But the decisions he's making, the throws he's making, the adversity he's playing under, I think you'd have to give him a positive rating and a positive for the future." Whether the Cowboys end the season loving Hutchinson or not has nothing to do with next spring's draft, however. What has become apparent is that teams must have more than one quarterback in development and that the likelihood of the Cowboys going back to Carter is remote, at best. Finding out if Hutchinson is a keeper should be the Cowboys' No. 1 priority for the rest of this season. "I think it's important, no question about it," Campo said Monday at Valley Ranch. "At 3-6 I still didn't look at it as an evaluation or anything else, because you can still do well. But at 3-7, you're certainly going to be looking at people. "I think we can build on our defense. I still think our kickers, as bad as they've looked at times, still have a future. Now you've got to look at how you help yourself offensively, and I think the quarterback position is the biggest key there." The transition from Emmitt Smith to babbling Troy Hambrick began Sunday and wide receiver Antonio Bryant is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the offense. "We're going out there to win the game," Campo said, "but at the same time, when I say looking at things, we're looking at [Hutchinson] for the remainder of the six games and wanting him to make progress." There is an assortment of other problems that the offensive-line situation is masking that no one seems willing to address. And by the way, the problems there aren't the new players who are coming in on a weekly basis. The main problem is veteran tackles Solomon Page and Flozell Adams, who seem intent on getting Hutchinson killed. But there are questions about Coslet's play-calling and offensive strategies that must be answered, too. Coslet said the Cowboys' intent coming into the game was to run the football on third-and-six and third-and-seven against the Colts because of their strong pass defense. "We thought we could run on them in nickel," Coslet said. That philosophy found the Cowboys running on third-and-long Sunday and throwing downfield on third-and-one. What kind of percentage play is that? No wonder the Cowboys were 1-for-10 on third-down conversion attempts. And when Coslet complains about an offensive mind-set among the players that has them content to play for field goals, where does he think that attitude comes from? Might it be the defensive-minded head coach, who has made playing not to lose and playing for the field goal an art form this season? Or the offensive coordinator, who calls a run from the Colts' 40 on third-and-six? The Cowboys may have the worst offensive line in the league right now, and it's not likely to get much better before next season. But, aside from the injuries, whose fault is that? Who overpaid Page and Adams? Who has been telling us for three years how great this Cowboys' offensive line is, when our eyes kept telling us something else? Sure, the injuries were devastating, but who decided to shuffle players from position to position week after week, creating utter chaos? The rest of the season has to be about Hutchinson -- if he can survive -- but the other basic offensive problems remain. For the better part of three seasons now, the once proud Cowboys offense, the team that once boasted The Triplets, has been the laughingstock of the NFL. We know it's not that difficult to turn things around quickly in today's NFL. We've seen other teams do it. So why haven't the Cowboys? That's the "one thing" that Curly Jones had better figure out, and fast. http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/4553889.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsThug Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 Ya know, I'd really like to laugh, but substitute a few names.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Brown #43 Posted November 19, 2002 Author Share Posted November 19, 2002 Originally posted by SkinsThug Ya know, I'd really like to laugh, but substitute a few names.... I hear you, SkinsThug. :doh: I guess I'd like to think that we've got a little more than they do to build from. They make the Bengals look like a well-oiled machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sisko Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 My thoughts exactly. Particularly as it concerns the following.... Whether the Cowboys end the season loving Hutchinson or not has nothing to do with next spring's draft, however. What has become apparent is that teams must have more than one quarterback in development and that the likelihood of the Cowboys going back to Carter is remote, at best. Just substitute "Ramsey" for Hutchinson and "Shame Woeffull" for Carter. :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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