By Brandon Simmons
Should Dallas put the Sticks Down on the Season?
The Dallas Cowboys took another turn in their twisted season when they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles to lose first place of the NFC East. If the Eagles win next week, they can clinch the division and send the Cowboys home, but if Dallas wins and Philly loses next week, then the Cowboys would get the NFC East. But considering the Cowboys have went through a litany of hell to get to this point, and still have more to go, is it time for them to just call it a season?
Even though every team wants to get to the postseason, there are times when they should take a rain check; the NFC East is a perfect example of that. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about both teams racing to get slaughtered in the first round. Sure, the Eagles won the game today, but they have injuries all through their receiving group and their secondary, which is a tough deal when you’re possibly going up against Russell Wilson or Drew Brees. For Dallas, it doesn’t just stop at their defensive woes. The Cowboys coaching staff has come under fire in recent weeks, including head coach Jason Garrett, whose new name should be Fire Jason Garrett. Running back Ezekiel Elliot has not lived up to his news-worthy payday and quarterback Dak Prescott’s play does not translate into this rumored request of a $40 million per year contract. While Prescott might lead in various passing categories, it has not translated into wins, as evidenced by his performance in Sunday’s game.
The only reason the Cowboys should pull the plug on this season is to fire Garrett. In the event that the Eagles lose, and Cowboys win, it’s not logical to go into the postseason with an interim coach, who just got the position a week before. Garret has received the blame for the way this season has turned out all year, and the Philly game was a perfect example. He did not have the team ready to play in a crucial game, so what makes you think they could get hyped to play an opponent that is way better than the Eagles. Bottom line is Dallas did not play like a team that deserved a playoff spot this past Sunday, as well as other times during the season. Going to the playoffs will just distract them from any issues that need to be rectified.
Still No Love for T.O.
Friday, the NFL announced the wide receiver version of its all-time for the 100th anniversary. The list included names such as Jerry Rice, Lance Alworth, Larry Fitzgerald, Raymond Berry and Randy Moss. However, after the show, the debate raged on as many wondered why Terell Owens was left off of this list. As if the fans were not already embroiled in Owens’ snub form the Hall-of-Fame, here comes the dismissal of T.O.’s talent from the recently created all time team. It’s one thing to not get into the Hall, on the first couple of tries, but to be in the top 2 of some of the major receiving categories in NFL history, and not be on the list, there has to be some sort of foolishness going on beyond what’s being seen.
Whether you think he’s whining or not, T.O. has every right to voice his frustration being dismissed as if he’s not given us some of the more memorable moments in the last 25 years. Some of his critics will point out his antics off the field, as what kept him off this list, but Moss is on here and he acted a plum fool after the first few seasons of his career. He did a lot from squirting a water bottle at a referee to slamming a team caterer for serving a trash meal. And in all those places, he had his issues. In San Francisco, he argued with coaches about getting the ball. In Philadelphia, he was rumored to be in a feud with the franchise quarterback. In Dallas, he was reported as demanding the football and even gave us the infamous “That’s my quarterback” speech. But despite all of that, T.O.’s play was nothing short of spectacular. The NFL world first got introduced to T.O. when he caught the game winning touchdown for the 49ers. His other big playoff moment came in the 2004 season when he played in the Super Bowl for the Eagles and had 9 catches for 122 yards on a broken leg. Even with the Cowboys, he posted double digit touchdowns in each of his 3 seasons there.
I know people don’t want to get caught up in the moment but T.O. has more than demonstrated himself as one of the all-time greats. He was truly an x-factor when he stepped on the field and his numbers proved it. He gave us classic memories such as the sharpie celebration and spiking the ball on the Dallas Cowboys star. Owens’ bravado fueled him to a high level of play that many people have seen in great players such as Deion Sanders and Ray Lewis. T.O. brings that kind of energy to an offense and it’s a shame that the NFL does not want to acknowledge that. Not to say that it’s surprising, but it’s definitely a shame the league is not trying to give this man his due.
The Seahawks are back in Beast Mode.
The Seattle Seahawks and running back Marshawn Lynch have reunited for the rest of this season, including the playoffs. This comes in the wake of Seattle losing their 3 of their running backs to various injuries. Running back Rashaad Penny suffered an injury in Week 14 to end his season. This past Sunday, running back Chris Carson suffered a hip injury while running back C.J. Prosise broke his arm and is done for the season. So now they have turned to Lynch, who has been in semi-retirement since leaving the Oakland Raiders last season.
The Seahawks made a call with Lynch that everyone should agree on this time. They were the number 1 seed in the NFC up until this weekend but have now dropped all the way to 5th. In addition to running back Robert Turbin – another former running back Seattle just signed – Lynch will help push the Seahawks’ number 3 rushing attack and take pressure of quarterback Russell Wilson, who was sacked 5 times in the loss against the Cardinals on Sunday. Lynch has been a staple with the Seattle team during their Super Bowl runs and might want another taste of the postseason after missing that chance in his last 2 seasons with the Raiders, which were far from the Beast Mode we’re used to seeing. His last season with Oakland was shortened due to injury so he probably wants to redeem himself on that before he runs through a defense off into the sunset.
Shoutouts/Shutouts
Shout out to former Cowboy receiver Dez Bryant, as well as rappers Yella Beezy and Trapboy Freddy, for buying all the toys at a local WalMart for less fortunate kids. According to Texas is Life, the trio made the purchase at a WalMart in Dallas’ OakCliff neighborhood. Shout out to these gentlemen for making someone’s Christmas a little bit brighter.
No shutouts this week since it’s Christmas, but whoever acts a fool this week will be wrote about next week. Week 17 is finally here and everyone will be on the bill. Even though most of the playoff spots have been claimed, there is still a lot of seeding to sort out between everyone. This weekend, all the games on the noon slot will feature teams that are out of the playoffs. In the afternoon slate, a lot of playoff seedings are on the line. Believe it or not, the Cowboys and Eagles are still fighting for the NFC East. If Philly beats the New York Giants, they win the division; but if the Cowboys beat the Washington Redskins (assuming that they try), and the Eagles lose, then Dallas takes the NFC East. The Tennessee Titans are playing to keep their playoff spot when they face the Houston Texans. The Texans have wrapped up their division and have an outside of chance of moving up to the 3 spot, should the Chiefs lose. They have the dilemma on whether to rest their starters and take whatever result or let the first unit get some reps to keep their rhythm going. The biggest game is going to be in the NFC when the Seahawks host the 49ers. This game will determine the NFC West as well as the 1st and 5th seeds of the conference. More importantly, whoever ends up in that 5th seed, could have an easy matchup with the 4th seed, which is likely to be the NFC East champion. But until then…I’ll holla.
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