The Dallas Cowboys used to be the team that everybody hated.
Now they are the team that puts everybody to sleep. Yawns abound when the subject is Jerry Jones and his crew. When they have a chance to assert themselves, they tend to get in the fetal position. America's team has become a weak-willed bunch of underachievers.
You would think that Jerry Jones would not abide the way the season ended for the Cowboys and that head coach Jason Garrett would have been sent packing after the team lost four of its last five games, including two to the New York Giants. But the same owner who was so bound and determined to win throughout the first 10 years of his ownership has become a much more patient man and that's much to the Cowboys' detriment.
How Jones can abide a team that gave away back-to-back games against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13 and the New York Giants in Week 14 is hard to fathom. In Week 13, the Cowboys dropped a 19-13 overtime decision after head coach Jason Garrett iced his own kicker on a field goal attempt that would have won the game. The following week, the Cowboys had a 12-point lead in the late stages of the fourth quarter and allowed the Giants to come all the way back and win. Never mind that placekicker Dan Bailey had his potential game-winning field goal blocked by New York's Jason Pierre-Paul. The Cowboys never should have been in that position.
Where does the fault lie? Plenty of blame goes to Garrett, quarterback Tony Romo and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. When you look at each man individually, you see a head coach with great creativity, a quarterback who plays the game with passion and excitement and a defensive coordinator who is among the most capable in the business. Despite their individual talents it simply doesn't work.
That puts it squarely on Jones. His leadership is indecisive and his top lieutenants constantly fall on their faces. As the Cowboys prepare for the offseason, all the talk is about improving at the offensive guard position, finding another receiver and getting a solid backup. These are small issues that miss the point.
The Cowboys simply have no backbone. When key games and the season is on the line, the men making the important decisions tend to fall apart. This is what the Cowboys have been all about—and it's not likely to change until Jones gets back to making decisive moves with his leadership.
Reference:
USA Today—Dallas Cowboys Team Report
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/cowboys/notes.htm
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