Monday, September 18, 2006

Tales from The Dark Side: Let’s Tap the Brakes, Folks


The Team We Love to Scorn managed to put together a pretty good effort last night, clobbering the ridiculous Washington Redskins, 27-10.

Much as it galls me to do so, let’s start by handing out some props. Bledsoe looked MUCH better than he did last week vs JAX. There were some flashes of a running game. Flozell Adams did not look quite as ready for the old-folks home. The defense toughened up, especially in the secondary. The multi-million-dollar kicker with the outrageous ego actually contributed a bit. Parcells and staff mixed it up pretty well – mostly conservative, but they took a few shots down the field as well.

All in all, a decent win. Nothing really impressive, but at the end of the year, it’s one in the win column.

Now, you didn’t tune in here to read the good news. And we’re not in the business of pointing out good news when it comes to Bondo Face and his minions. The glass is always half-empty here on the Dark Side, and usually it’s leaking all over the floor. This week is no exception. On with the bile!

To paraphrase the great John Lennon, I can’t believe the news today. Cowlishaw (need to be a CowboysPlus subscriber to read it), Gramps, Jub, everyone seems ready to crown the Cowboy D as the Greatest Defense Ever in the History of Ever. Huh?

I’ll grant you, the Redskins were able to do nothing on offense last night. But was that overpowering defense by the Cowboys? Or are the Redskins, in reality, one of the worst offensive teams in the NFL?

Me, I’ll go with the second choice. What do they have?

Brunell is clearly past his prime. Watching him scramble at the end of the first half was like watching a 60-year-old run thru a vat of pudding. Either he or the Redskins’ staff seemed afraid to have him drop back to throw. The Skins’ passing game is horrendous.

Running back? Maybe with Clinton Portis in there, they’ll be able to muster some sort of running game to keep the defense honest, but that sure didn’t happen last night. The complete lack of a ground game let the Cowboys sell out into pass coverage all night, making heroes out of last weeks goats in the secondary.

No, I’m not falling for the “Doomsday III” comments from Jub this morning. This is the same defense that got shredded by a competent, but not awe-inspiring, offense in Jacksonville last week. The fact that they were able to shut down one of the worst offenses in the league last night doesn’t prove anything to me.

And while we’re on the subject of “competent” offense, is anyone ready to say the Cowboys’ offensive line is really ready for prime time? I will give them credit for keeping Bledsoe alive, and for opening holes enough to allow 130+ yards of rushing, but just how good is the Washington front 7? I don’t know, and neither does anyone else at this point. Think the prognosticators have it right? That’s the same bunch which proclaimed Chris Simms ready for a breakout year, Carolina as a Super Bowl favorite, and San Francisco as the worst team in the league. They don’t know any more than I do.

So, now we’ve got a bye week, followed by a trip to Tennessee. That game isn’t going to tell us much either, as the Titans are in the running for Worst Team in the NFL, along w/ the Redskins. We won’t know much of anything about this Cowboy team until Oct 8, when they visit Philadelphia.

Go enjoy your bye week, Cowboy sheep. Bask in that warm glow of a victory. I think it’s fool’s gold, but we’ll see…

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