2008 Woodie Awards
The 'D' Missing in Dallas
Rob MacKerchar
Issue date: 11/18/04 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 2 next >
After a Monday night game against the Eagles, it's become evident that defense in Dallas, aka Big "D" leaves something to be desired. This Cowboys team, under future Hall of Famer Bill Parcells, is now 3-6 and plummeting fast. Dallas allowed 49 points at home Monday night against the 8-1 Eagles, their worst loss at home in franchise history, and allowed 485 yards on defense.
Out of those 485 yards, 134 went to Terrell Owens, a receiver that the Cowboys knew they needed to watch even before the coin toss. They even allowed a play in which Donovan McNabb scrambled around for 14 full seconds, at which time he completed a 60-yard pass across his body to a receiver in double coverage. The Cowboys are tied for the third worst record in the NFC, just ahead of an injury plagued Carolina team and a 49ers team that was crippled by free agency.
Dallas can't blame either their woes on any of these excuses; they're only missing
three starters (one of whom is unproven- rookie Julius Jones and the ancient Darren Woodson) and they picked up big name players like Keyshawn Johnson and Vinny Testaverde in the off-season.
This is a team that improved, on paper at least, from last year - a year in which they won 10 games and made the playoffs. The NFC East is weak, and yet, the Cowboys are at the bottom of it. So what's the problem? Maybe it's the fact that they're relying on the arm of a 41-year-old and the legs of a Heisman has-been.
Both Testaverde and Eddie George were terrible pickups; Testaverde is too slow and too old, and George hasn't averaged four yards a carry since the Clinton administration. Johnson isn't producing; they have no speed at wide out; and they got rid of Quincy Carter, the guy who got them into the playoffs in the first place. In fact, their tight end, Jason Witten, has 16 more catches than anyone else on the team, showing just how unproductive this receiving core is. I would say to hand the ball off to the backup quarterback if the starter isn't producing, but the backup in Dallas has been playing minor league baseball for the last three years.
Out of those 485 yards, 134 went to Terrell Owens, a receiver that the Cowboys knew they needed to watch even before the coin toss. They even allowed a play in which Donovan McNabb scrambled around for 14 full seconds, at which time he completed a 60-yard pass across his body to a receiver in double coverage. The Cowboys are tied for the third worst record in the NFC, just ahead of an injury plagued Carolina team and a 49ers team that was crippled by free agency.
Dallas can't blame either their woes on any of these excuses; they're only missing
three starters (one of whom is unproven- rookie Julius Jones and the ancient Darren Woodson) and they picked up big name players like Keyshawn Johnson and Vinny Testaverde in the off-season.
This is a team that improved, on paper at least, from last year - a year in which they won 10 games and made the playoffs. The NFC East is weak, and yet, the Cowboys are at the bottom of it. So what's the problem? Maybe it's the fact that they're relying on the arm of a 41-year-old and the legs of a Heisman has-been.
Both Testaverde and Eddie George were terrible pickups; Testaverde is too slow and too old, and George hasn't averaged four yards a carry since the Clinton administration. Johnson isn't producing; they have no speed at wide out; and they got rid of Quincy Carter, the guy who got them into the playoffs in the first place. In fact, their tight end, Jason Witten, has 16 more catches than anyone else on the team, showing just how unproductive this receiving core is. I would say to hand the ball off to the backup quarterback if the starter isn't producing, but the backup in Dallas has been playing minor league baseball for the last three years.