Parcells as an Elf, Along with Other Fun and Interesting News
By Matt Cordon (kh). Filed in Blog and Forum Roundup, Dallas Cowboys News in Brief |
Okay, so we’ll try a little bit less sarcasm today. We have so many serious things to consider– will Terrell Owens get out of Dallas without being punched in the mouth? Can the Cowboys find a way to win against the second-worst team in the league (thinking here that the Lions are worse than the Raiders)? Can I please get Chapter 3 of my Civil War Prize Cases book finished? Please?
Anyway, in keeping with the just-after-the-holiday spirit, here is a link to Bill Parcells as an elf. It is a really helpful experience to see him in that light, for it makes it so much easier to watch his press conferences. Really.
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So, should we care about the season finale? Well, we were supposed to break a bunch of streaks this year: no division title since 1998, no playoff win since 1996, no first-round bye since 1995, etc. Well, here’s another one: Dallas hasn’t won a season finale since the 1999 season, when the Cowboys had to defeat the Giants to make the playoffs at 8-8. That was four days after my now-seven-year-old son was born. Wow.
Thought of another reason, though, relating to last year’s loss to the Rams on the final week of the season:
I’ve thought since Sunday that it really doesn’t matter whether we win this weekend, given that it may be better for us to go to Seattle for the first round. But I’ve reconsidered.
Does anyone remember last year’s season finale vs. the Rams? Not much to remember, except that Dallas entered the game with the same record as it has right now– the only difference being that the Cowboys this year are a little bit better and the records of other NFC East teams are a little bit worse. The Rams last year were 5-10, had lost four straight, and were playing for a lame-duck coach. Even if they were out of the playoffs, the Cowboys could have finished the season strong with a 10-6 record, demonstrating their pride and making a statement for the next year. Instead, the team barely showed up and was squashed in a 20-10 loss. And that was the statement: that team had utterly no pride at that point.
Mind you, we won some big games last year– at home vs. the Giants; at home vs. the Chiefs; on the road vs. the Panthers. But all too often we followed those up with complete duds, most notably the 35-7 loss at Washington. And among the biggest duds was the loss in the last week of the season to a team in the Rams that couldn’t seem to beat anyone at that point.
Have the Cowboys learned anything since last year? You want to say that of course they have. They have Tony Romo. They have even more weapons on offense. They have a generally healthy defense in the second year of the 3-4. But in the end, the two seasons haven’t been all that different, and a repeat performance in the season finale (noting here that Parcells has yet to win a season finale as the Dallas head coach) would represent perhaps the lowest point in a season of highs and lows. A playoff win–which is what several of us have wanted all year at the least– would be almost bizarre under those circumstances. So I think now that we do need to win this game.
Someone later argued that no team would have won that game under those circumstances. Silly me, thinking that a professional football team would win such a game.
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Jean-Jacques Taylor took issue with Terrell Owens. Kind of wish this was a 260-pound linebacker saying this to him, but wow anyway.
Hey T.O., shut up. That’s right, be quiet. Hush. Close your mouth. Don’t say another word.
And don’t think I’m alone.
The fans want you to shut up, based on the boos you received in Monday’s loss. So do your teammates, considering their comments Wednesday. Lord knows Bill Parcells has wanted you to shut up since training camp.
The whining. The excuse-making. We’re all tired of it. Rarely has a player generated so many statistics and so little impact.
The good news is you’re an irrelevant figure in the Cowboys’ locker room. In Philadelphia, you divided a team; here, you wield no power. You should see your teammates roll their eyes when informed of your latest ploy for attention.
After all, only a Narcissist could drop a critical third-quarter pass – good for about 50 yards – in a game for the NFC East championship and then complain about your involvement in the offense.
Clearly, you don’t understand how self-indulgent that makes you look. Then again, you probably don’t care. You’re all about numbers. If they happen to come in the midst of victories, then fine. Otherwise, you’ve got a problem.
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Learned for the first time today of the Danny White Appreciation Day. Wish I had seen it sooner, but I’ll surely keep it in mind: it has to be more productive than the Most Obscure Player Award!
Friday, December 29th 2006 at 10:08 pm
Hey,
I almost forgot, where’s Ten Minutes to know your Dallas Cowboys, the game’s tomorrow. I just love watching your show. I’ll be at the game tomorrow so I’ll write what I see at the game with the fans and stuff at Texas Stadium. Last we have to root for the Falcons to win tomorrow and we have to win to get the division.
Redmustang03.
Friday, December 29th 2006 at 10:10 pm
Hey,
I almost forgot, where’s Ten Minutes to know your Dallas Cowboys, the game’s coming up on Sunday. I just love watching your show. I’ll be at the game tomorrow so I’ll write what I see at the game with the fans and stuff at Texas Stadium. Last we have to root for the Falcons to win tomorrow and we have to win to get the division.
Redmustang03.
Friday, December 29th 2006 at 10:11 pm
Hope you enjoy the game, Redmustang. I didn’t get a chance go to one this year.
I’m almost finished with the show for the week, and I’ll have it up soon– keep getting bogged down with other stuff. Thanks for watching, though, and I’m glad you enjoy it.