Star-Telegram: Analysis: Cowboys aren't as good as Jones thinks they are

[tr1]

http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/11/12/2627710/analysis-cowboys-arent-as-good.html

By Clarence E. Hill Jr.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones admitted being in denial about coach Wade Phillips and the team over the past couple of weeks.

The 45-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers served as a wake-up call for him. He finally realized that Phillips was no longer the answer as head coach.

During the news conference announcing Phillips' firing and the selection of offensive coordinator Jason Garrett as interim coach, Jones was asked if he was still in denial about the team's talent.

"I think it's fair to ask the question," Jones said. "I have spent a little time here talking about what we want to see in these next eight games ... So eight games is a lifetime in football to some degree.

"I want to see players here that play in a winning way. It's pretty obvious we haven't been playing in a winning way. That encompasses a lot of things. It goes a lot of ways other than being physical."

The reason the Cowboys are 1-7 is not because of a lack of talent.

It's because they have played dumb football. They have not always been prepared. And they have been let down by the coaches who have made strategic mistakes in design and play calling.

It started in the season opener against the Washington Redskins when Garrett called a pass play with 4 seconds left in the first half instead of calling for a kneeldown.

Regarding the initial question about talent, Jones refused to give a straight answer because he is still in denial about the talent on this team.

The Cowboys have a few star players -- including quarterback Tony Romo sits to pee, tight end Jason Witten, receivers Miles Austin and Dez Bryant, nose tackle Jay Ratliff and linebacker DeMarcus Ware -- and some nice pieces in tackle Doug Free, linebacker Anthony Spencer, punter Mat McBriar and cornerback Terence Newman.

But that's it.

This notion that the Cowboys have an abundance of talent, as Jones continued to peddle on Friday, is not true.

The Cowboys have made huge draft mistakes and bad personnel decisions that are coming back to haunt them.

The offensive line is old and downtrodden.

The running backs have always been a little overrated and now are simply unproductive.

The defensive line, now injury depleted, was always average at best, save for Ratliff. And the same can be said for the linebackers not named Ware. Keith Brooking and Bradie James are solid, inspirational warriors but aren't Pro Bowlers.

Certainly, there are players who are underperforming.

Bottom line: This is not the talent-laden bunch it's been made out to be.

Garrett will undoubtedly get this team to play with more effort and passion over the next eight weeks.

Hard work without talent is a pipe dream.

Talent without hard work is a nightmare.

Contrary to popular thinking, the Cowboys are more of the former than the latter at this point.

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/11/12/2627710/analysis-cowboys-arent-as-good.html#ixzz15C3L9OaL

[tr1]

I'm not following Hill's logic in this story.

Can somebody help me out?

[frankez99]

I'm not following Hill's logic in this story.

Can somebody help me out?

Synopsis: the Cowboys are TALENTED TALENTED TALENTED TALENTED

TALENTED

TALENTED

TALENTED

TALENTED

TALENTED

TALENTED

TALENTED

TALENTED

[Ingtar]

I would like to hear why they will "undoubtedly" play harder for Garrett. Is there not already talk about how half of the locker room hates him?

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Never have I seen a thread headline and screamed "NO ****!" out as loud.

Hail.

[AzSkinsFan63]

We aren't who we think we are!!!

[jnhay]

I've been saying this for a while now, and not just because I dislike the Cowboys. People constantly say how the Cowboys are so talented, but a super-talented team doesn't go 1-7! I don't care how bad your coach is! Oh, they had 53 pro bowlers when they won 13 games! I wonder why a winning team who happens to be the most popular could end up having so many pro bowlers?

You're not the most talented team just because you have the most pro bowlers!

[ArmchairRedskin]

I honestly don't see a HC change as a motivator for them at this point in the season. I'm not sure how many of them are scared of Jerry, either. He's way too buddy-buddy with his players.

A lot of that stuff in green that tr1 highlighted is stuff that's been said around here since pre-season.

[Hitman21ST]

I'm not following Hill's logic in this story.

Can somebody help me out?

The Cowboys are TALENTED, but they're not talented.

[ACW]

Here's the thing: The Cowboys probably have the most talented PLAYERS, but not the most talented TEAM.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

Star-Telegram: Analysis: Cowboys aren't as good as Jones thinks they are .

Hell, the Cowboys aren't as good as ANYONE thinks/thought they were...except for Skins fans lol ...our assessments have more or less been right on the money. :thumbsup:

The actual title should have been "Star-Telegram: Analysis: Cowboys weren't as good as Jones and the media said they were"

[Big Blue Joe]

Here's the thing: The Cowboys probably have the most talented PLAYERS, but not the most talented TEAM.

That's BS. The Cowboys have some talented skill position players. Comparable, but certainly not better, than a number of teams in the NFC. But now that their OL is starting to show its age, Jay Ratliff is the only above average talent the Cowboys have on either of the trenches. All their skill position players can do is to try to make up for the glaring lack of talent at the line of scrimmage. And you're not going to win a lot of games like that.