Four days before the season opening game, the greatest running back to don a Cowboys uniform, has decided that he needed to give his old team a good old fashioned tongue lashing.

Emmitt Smith was the perfect back for the Cowboys, outside of what he did on the field however was less than to be desired.

Known for being egotistical, arrogant, SOB. Maybe you have heard the story about the presents he used to give his O-Line? If you followed the Cowboys in the 90’s then I am sure you heard about them.

There is one story that some of you may have not heard about! As the story goes Emmitt had another spectacular year (won the rushing title) and the present he chose to get his linemen was???? None other than an autographed copy of his autobiography! How freaking nice of him!

Somewhere along the line of his career he has become the greatest (self proclaimed) prognosticator of talent in the NFL! Always having something to say (whether or not you can understand what he is saying is a different story).

Now apparently he has become so well schooled on what it takes to be a Head Coach, Wide Receiver, and Quarterback he has decided to drop some knowledge and let us know why the Cowboys can (via The DMN Blog)

“Realistically, I think that the Cowboys can win seven games,”

Seven Games! Seven games, is Doctor Dipshits win total for the Cowboys in 2009!

At first sight of this I thought “well maybe he has some inside information that none of us have!” but then he drops this as his reasoning behind his prognosis,

“I mean, when I start hearing things are going to change, I keep asking myself as a player, how much are they going to change?” he said. “Are you going to be a hard-nosed coach now since things are going to change? Are you going to be more focused than you were last year? Those kind of things, I’m like, c’mon. This is not a game where you can just turn it on and turn it off.”

Emmitt Smith obviously pays next to zero attention to the goings on of the Dallas Cowboys! Bradie James back in August had this to say about the HC Wade Phillips,

“He’s almost like a new coach,” James said. “He knows what’s at stake, and he knows we need to have a winning season. He’s been different. He said he was going to be different, and I didn’t know how he would pull it off, but I think he has.”

That was not the first time or the last time statements like that were said. We even got to see Ol Wade unleash on Courtney Brown on the sidelines after a stupid pass interference call, all these things were not seen last year! So evidently it is possible for a human being to change the way they do things!

Then as if he had not dropped enough knowledge on the fans of the Dallas Cowboys, he decided to give us an insight on Roy Williams.

“The question is, can Roy step up and be what they need him to be? I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s possible.”

“I do not see him as a No. 1. I never have saw him as a No. 1. Never have. When I say No. 1, I mean your No. 1 go-to guy. He’s not your No. 1 go-to guy.”

Let me say something to those of you who believe this line of thinking, THE COWBOYS DO NOT NEED ROY WILLIAMS TO IMITATE TERRELL OWENS! With the backs and Tight Ends they have this team does not need a pure #1 (ala Fitzgerald, Owens). This team needs Roy Williams to do what he does best, MOVE THE FREAKING CHAINS! SO STOP THE NONSENSE!!!!!!

Then he decides to get a few shots in on every ones punching bag Tony Romo,

“So when you have your off-season and you say things are going to change and you’ve never been that dominant personality or in that leadership position then, as a player, you lose me,” Emmitt said during an appearance on Sirius NFL Radio (via Pro Football Talk). “You lost me. I’m sitting there saying, ‘OK, now you’re going to become a leader?’ What happened when we had all this great talent over here and we had a chance to go, not only in the playoffs, but in the first round of the playoffs when we got knocked out both times?”

Once again in the land of Emmitt people are not allowed the opportunity to grow and possibly change the way they do things!

The Cowboys however have created this monster themselves, and the only way to make this retarded way of thinking go away, along with dipshits like Emmitt is by just shutting up and proving the naysayers wrong!

Emmitt I think maybe you should go back and listen to some of the crap you and your illustrious teammates told the fans of the Dallas Cowboys. It seems to me that I heard you and Michael, Troy, and Deion saying things like “we are just biding our time; we can turn it on whenever we get ready!” Do you remember those days? I sure do, and yet that grand switch you guys talked about in 1996 never got “turned on”, I think you might need to remember that old saying “people who live in glass houses should not throw stones!”

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Do you think Tony Romo is distracted by fame? Maybe you feel like Romo is in his make or break season, or just maybe, you think Romo is far overrated.  The chances that you can relate to these statements is about 90 percent.  I say that strictly because where ever you look 9 out of 10 fans are bashing Romo’s very existence.

Just recently I was rummaging through DC.com and read Mick’s latest article “Pressure Cooker” and it inspired me to do a little digging.  You see, Romo’s lack of post season production isn’t as frightening as one might imagine.  Though the outcry of fans would produce a different story.  I simply decided to compare the ever so scrutinized Romo with other NFL greats.  The results were just as I expected, Romo was leading the pack and the fair weather fans arguments were proven to be ridiculous.

Clearly these statistics place Romo on comparable status with HOF caliber Quarterbacks.  So what gives? Why the criticism? I accredit it to one of two scenario’s.  1) The fans of today are too idiotic to realize that football is a game of growth and maturity and not a game of instantaneous success, and their ignorance far surpasses the need to gather information and statistics to help them understand the game, or 2) Tony Romo is simply just another victim of Dallas Cowboys Nation.  I can only really offer an explanation for one, since I can’t change the disposition of fans.

The Cowboys microscope has been in effect since the 70′s when Tom Landry decided to go with Roger Staubach as his starter over Craig Morton.  It then continued with Danny White, and claims of Troy Aikman “going soft” before winning another Super Bowl in 1995.  This to me says that no matter how talented and skilled a quarterback is, as a Cowboy he is doomed to being faced with the troubles of Hollywood. Here is where the problem lies, fans easily forget or become blind to the talent that truly lies in the quarterback that is leading their team.  Romo has displayed strong abilities in arm strength, pass accuracy, mobility, and throwing on the run, which elevates him to one of the only true balanced quarterbacks in the league.

It is my firm opinion that if Romo was on a handful of other teams he would be referred to as a gem and most certainly a franchise quarterback.  We need to realize the facts, we need to open our eyes, and realize that Romo is a worthy and talented leader for this team.  Facts speak for themselves.

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I’ve noticed that there are plenty of lists going out lately. Most of which shed no respect to Cowboys players who have rightfully earned it. So to fulfill the appetite of you fans I’ve created a list of the Best Cowboys of the last 15 Years. .. So get ready!

1 Emmitt Smith-The leagues leading rusher. Smith proved to be a “Go to guy” by coupling hard nose, downhill running with incredible durability. With 3 Super Bowl rings, Smith may be the most noticeable player in Dallas Cowboys History.

2 DeMarcus Ware- Perhaps the most naturally talented player to emerge on this defense in years, Ware consistently strikes fears into opposing offensive coordinators. Ware has increased his sack total in each of his 3 seasons ending with 20 last year. There is no signs of slowing down which is good news for this defense!

3 Troy Aikman- Concussion Troy can’t be forgotten for all the marvelous things he did in Dallas. He was a model field general, orchestrating 3 Super Bowl victories and becoming the Cowboys all time leading passer with 32,942 yards.

4 Darren Woodson- The one player that ANY of us would give ANYTHING to have back. Darren Woodson played the secondary perfectly forcing 23 interceptions. He was the backbone in many great defenses and earned a reputation as one of the fiercest safeties in the league.

5 Michael Irvin-A distraction? Sure. However, Michael’s production was unmatched. He averaged over 15 yards per gain and had over 60 touchdowns in his career. He was a consistent target who was reliable and a HOF athlete.

6 Larry Allen- A big strong offensive lineman who was versatile in his play. At 325 lbs he was an immovable force and a good reason for Emmitt’s success.

7 Jason Witten- Witten is a Blue Collar, Smash mouth player who has, in my opinion, defined the future play of tight ends. He blocks well, He’s intelligent, and He’s a bigger threat in the passing game then most receivers, He can shed tackles, and he’s not afraid to throw his body around.

8 Tony Romo- Though under constant scrutiny, he has produced more 300 yard passing games then any quarterback in Dallas history in 3 years. With a 64 percent completion rate, and a ratio or 2 td’s to 1 interception, his regular season play is comparable to some of the greatest quarterbacks of all time (Coming soon: a comparison against Peyton, Aikman, and Young in there first 4 years) I believe that given the opportunity, Romo will thrive in future playoff appearances.

9 Deion Sanders- Prime time, Sanders electrified the field with his wonderful coverage, ability to force interceptions for touchdowns, and punt returning skills. Sanders had abilities that we will forever miss and may not see for years to come.

10 Terrence Newman- Not Deion Sanders, but that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily worse. Terrence doesn’t produce stats like some of the other elite DB’s but that’s because he’s never really tested. He is a shut down corner with speed and game breaking ability. He will be the staple in this defense for years to come.

11 Greg Ellis- A bitter end to this story. Greg has given his all to this team and that has to be respected. He was a feared defensive end, but an even more devastating OLB with the ability to get to the passer; he’s registered 77 career sacks with the Cowboys.

12 Daryl Johnston- The moose led the way for Emmitt throughout his career… Enough said.

13 Dat Nguyen- Nguyen solidified the middle linebacker slot in his second year after leading the team in special teams tackles the first. His run stopping ability and hard hitting made him well known throughout the league. If it weren’t for a disc injury, Dat would be along Bradie James, supporting the same number 1 defense he helped solidify in 2003.

14 Marion Barber- A hardnosed runner this team hasn’t seen since Smith. After going through Troy Hambricks stages and a little flash of Cason, Barber was a breath of fresh air. He has become a “Closer” and has the talent to become a franchise back and league leader.

15 Flozell Adams- Though penalty prone, Flozell has provided stability to the offensive line in Larry Allen’s Absence. He is big, strong, and mobile. He also uses his hands well and is also a talented blocker. An excellent round out to this list.

**Notable Mention** George Teague- For his incredibly memorable hit on Terrell Owens, when Owens was boastfully disrespecting the star.

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Due to the over whelming response we received on the “Tony Romo, How Does He Stack Up” post from last week. I felt compelled to dive a little further into that subject. I never thought for a moment when I was writing that post that it would stir the pot as much as it has. The reason I began to do that post was just to get something involving Romo on the site. The final result of that article has not yet been determined, but one thing for sure is that you all have plenty to say about it. So let’s take this debate a little further and find out what is really going on!

Leadership: the activity of leading; “his leadership inspired the team”

So above you see what the actual definition of “Leader” and “Leadership” is, So now how do we determine if these are things that Tony has? Well judging by many of your responses and views on these two words. What we need to be looking at is a complex set of parameters. First, the majority of the people that believe Tony is not a leader, or does not have the make up to be one, say things like:

“He can’t sit on the bench and pout like a 4 yr old when things aren’t going his way. He has to get up and find solutions with his teammates.”

This statement was very intriguing to me. Why? Well it just kind of struck me funny! For about ten years of my life I worked in the NASCAR racing industry. I worked for several different race teams, all different levels. From Saturday night short tracks to NASCAR’s highest level (sprint cup series). I was very fortunate to have been able to work for some very good Crew Chiefs (the quarterback of the team), and I must say none of them operated like the others! I had some that were very coarse and led with an iron fist. I also had some that were very quiet and led by example.

Now the ones that led with their fists were no better than the ones who led by example. They both got everything out of their guys and were and are still very successful! So where did this leader perception come from? And why do most fans cling to that way being the only way? I believe that this is a direct reflection of “fans” views about athletes and how much they are paid versus what the normal Joe must endure just to be able to pay his/her bills! We as fans hold athletes at an unattainable standard!

These guys are no different than you and I other than they make more money in a year than most of us will make in a lifetime. I am sure some of you out there hold positions that leave you in charge of directing people; How do you lead your people? I try to treat everyone that works with and for me with as much respect as possible, but also I make sure that I work harder than anyone who works for me! I do this not because I like to work hard, but so they see the “Leader” setting the tone! What I am getting to is my style is probably different than yours, but does that make mine wrong? No! It does not, but my style of leading does have a key component that it depends on in order for it to work. That component is simple! My leadership abilities depends on having everyone on the same page! In order for my personnel to perform at a high level, all of them MUST work together! If one link in the chain is not holding up their end of the work, the chain will break, and the final product will suffer.

Now this rule really applies to either way of leading, but the “Iron Fist” way does not do something that my way does. The “Iron Fist” way demands that everyone do their job or else! My way can inspire others to do things that they normally could not, or would not do! In the end both ways work, and will work effectively but I prefer for my personnel to perform at the highest level because they know they can rather than performing at that level out of fear! It is my belief that success will last longer this way.

Tony Romo leads his players by the example method, He expects everyone to do their job to the best of their ability, without having to be bullied to do it. Now I realize that we all want to see him go off on someone and belittle them, but he is not going to do that very often. Tony feels that if the team does not play well that it is entirely on his shoulders, and the only way he feels comfortable repairing it is by pushing himself! It is up to the guys around him to recognize his efforts and to say to themselves “Tony is working hard to repair things, I should do the same!”.

Now I will not argue with you that Tony has made some very dumb mistakes. I will also not argue with you about the fact that Tony must cut down on the stupid plays, because he must! However mistakes, and bad throws do not correlate to a poor “Leader”. The majority of his stupid plays are made while trying to make something out of nothing! Let me ask you a question, How do you think Tony’s numbers (both in the Win column and in the personal stat sheet) would look if he threw the ball away every time everyone was covered? Or better yet every time he had two uncovered blitzers come at him he threw the ball away? You would have the same sorry ass QBs we have had here since Troy left! The making something out of nothing is what sets this guy apart from the rest. Yes he needs to do a better job of picking his spots, but cut the guy just a little slack!

I find it absolutely mind blowing that so many of you, believe EVERYTHING that you hear or read! ESPN and the National Media have done it’s very best to convince all of us that Tony and the Dallas Cowboys are a bunch of losers, and lunatics! People, us calling for Tony to be moved is exactly what everyone wants! The Dallas Cowboys are the team everyone loves to hate! In case you all do not understand this let me break it down for you. ESPN has a freakin “Cowboys watch” on their ticker, not because they want all Cowboy fans to be kept well informed, but because nothing sells “papers” like certain despair at Valley Ranch! No matter what good things take place at the ranch. The only thing ESPN is going to broadcast is the next allotment of turmoil! You will not hear or read this on ESPN, but you will damn sure hear about “A Possible rift brewing between Terrence Newman and Tony Romo”!

The point is don’t just take what someone says as the gospel without first doing your own research! If you want to argue something with me, then by all means bring it on! I strongly suggest however that you do your homework, before you just blab something that the National Media said!

Tony Romo is our Quarterback! Tony Romo is a “leader”. So all of you who think the 9-7 2008 season was caused due to the poor leadership abilities of our Quarterback. All I ask from any of you is to go back and look at the tape! The porous O-line, Injuries, poor route running, and receivers leading the league in dropped passes, have absolutely nothing to do with leadership! All of these things have to do with EVERYONE NOT PULLING THEIR WEIGHT! When ever you can say that EVERYONE is performing to the best of their ability, but Romo is letting them down. Then I will loosen my stance, but right now, this teams failures in 2008 are not because of “Poor Leadership” from Tony!

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The Dallas Cowboys have made a flurry of off season moves this year with hopes of changing not only the perception of the team, but also getting back to playing winning football. All of these aspirations are now in the hands of one person, and JJ is not who I am referencing! You got it, One Tony Romo is now in control of this franchise. Now I realize that there is only so much one man can do, but the problem is that Cowboy fans, in my opinion, are beginning to lose confidence in Mr. Romo.

Now I am a fan of Tony, but I’m growing tired of defending him, it is time for him to step up! There is one question however that keeps burning through my mind about him; Is Tony Romo’s on the field performance equal to those of his peers (QBs with the same number of starts), and even his predecessors (former QBs at this point in their career’s)? The reason I keep coming back to this question is simple. Do I and we know what we are talking about when we say things like “he is not a winner”? Because if he is on course with his peers, and predecessors, well then we need to just shut up! So let’s do some digging and see if we can find something one way or the other to hang our hats on.

I am going to put up a table for you all to look at. This table will consist of several quarterbacks both current and former quarterbacks. I will be excluding the names of the players for now. If you would all look at the table, and answer the following question for me. In this list there are two Hall of Fame players, another three that will be, and four that are very strong players, one of these is Tony Romo, which one is he?

Did anyone say Player “F”? It’s ok if you did, but you would be very, very, very wrong! How about player “I”? Nope not him either! If you will look at the next table you will see which one was Tony!

Now, so that we are all on the same page here, I am trying to say that Romo is going to be or is as good as players like Montana, and Manning, what I am saying is that you have got to look at everything before you follow some of the things that the media wants you to believe! In doing this research I found some pretty interesting things! First, with everyone of these guys I found that they all had very good sophomore seasons, as the starter. Their Junior campaign almost all had a slight drop in production. Secondly, there fourth year as the starter saw all of them have as good, and in some cases a record year. The naysayers will say that “you can manipulate numbers however you see fit” and to an extent they would be correct. These are the things we can actually see, however we cannot see the small things that they do to become the leaders we say they are.

The moral of this story is this; Players in this league are judged by wins and losses, no one more so than the QB position. Tony has not won a playoff game YET! So therefore he is a loser. This is the budding perception, and until this team wins a playoff game that tag will not be removed. At the same token though, he cannot do it alone. Be Careful for what you ask for! I hear all the time that this team needs to find Tony’s replacement, why? You show me a better QB in the league! and do not come at me with that “but he has not won anything” crap! Eli Manning won a Super Bowl! Do you think he is better? I sure as hell don’t! One lucky catch does not make you a leader and a winner in my book!

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You know, since the season ended, you’ve been offered dozens upon dozens of articles and columns from journalists and bloggers alike with the top five or ten, or whatever number, things that the Cowboys must do to bounce back from the woes that buried them in 2008. A season that ended with the unsightly demise of the team’s final shreds of hope in Philly.

So here’s the top ……. You know what? I don’t know how many things we’re going to come up with here for the Cowboys to do this off-season, I mean in addition to what they’ve already done of course. So we’re going to take a stab at it from a more site-wide perspective and let the number fall where it may. Here’s what the Cowboys need to do before August:

1. It’s obvious, but playing as a team is potentially the best thing they can do. No more appeasing wide receivers who want the ball more, no more trying to prove who can do what and journalists wrong in their doom and gloom opinions. It’s time to step up and give everything you have every game, to play for your teammate as though your life depends on it.
2. Because their life sort of does depend on it, or their livelihood rather. Now that Jerry Jones has cut Terrell Owens, it should be crystal clear to all the players that who you are, what you can do, and what you bring to the game on the field doesn’t matter. If Jerry can cut T.O. then he can cut anyone on that team, and that message needs to be replayed through the P.A. system at Valley Ranch for the next five months.
3. Finding the proper motivation to go and out win some ballgames can be a challenging task nowadays, but it should be simple. These players all want a Super Bowl, and we’ve just gotten a real good demonstration of how a 9-7 team can reach the Super Bowl and lose it by so little … use that to motivate these players.
4. Now that Owens is gone and that message from #2 is still resonating in everyone’s mind, stop overpaying the players! It’s time to go by market value and if a player doesn’t like it, he can go elsewhere. Cutting Owens just proves to him that it’s not a matter of if he’ll be cut for being selfish or greedy, but when. Fear is a great motivator.
5. Be mean. It’s time for Colombo and Ratliff and Davis and Newman and … everyone … to get mean on the field. Start dominating the field and even the players that can’t dominate, act like it cause you’ll play harder that way. Get mad, show some emotion and go after the hit like that guy just beat your sister! It’s time to make the rest of the league fear the amount of talent on this team.
6. Someone has got to step up and lead this team. Even if Wade didn’t resemble a puppet and Garrett wasn’t too afraid of stepping on anyone’s toes, they can’t lead this team. It needs to be a player that does it and there is none better for the job than the quarterback. Troy Aikman never hung his head in shame after a bad play, he yelled across the field so that whoever just screwed up could hear him over the crowd noise! It’s time for Romo to find his outdoor voice and tell everyone very loudly when they screw up, including himself.
7. Fans need to bring their outdoor voices to games too! What is the point of home field advantage if the fans don’t do their part? Fans at games should leave a game calling in sick to work for the next day because they can’t talk anymore. When the team organizes a special deal like a white out, the fans need to go overboard trying to do it. I’m talking about white jerseys, shoes, pants, hell … white faces and hair even.
8. Fans should also stop buying into everything that is reported by ESPN (Everlasting Sorry Pieces of …. Nevermind). ESPN has a reputation for stirring up controversy where there is none, and in the case of Owens prematurely, for a reason, it’s because they do it! Reporters rarely have as many answers as they proclaim and very often a good journalist is one that will fudge a couple of details for a really juicy story. That’s not the hype you should be buying into … it only feeds their narcissistic need to do it again and again and that kind of attention is bad for any team.
9. And finally … when is Darren Woodson going to go all Dat Nguyen on us and become a coach for our struggling secondary? I can only imagine …

Well there you have it … 9 things this team must do to be successful next year. And just so nobody confuses me with any one of these journalists who pretend to have all the answers in five easy steps, these nine things are but nine of the many that need to be done, but these are a good start and in logical order after cutting Owens.

GO COWBOYS!!!

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There’s something to be said for a player that owns up to his role on a team.

I mean each position has clearly stated duties and responsibilities at all times. A wide receiver has to run routes, break jams at the line, make cuts, get separation, focus on the ball and catch it, keep his timing right etc. etc.

There’s a list like that for every position on the team, some longer than others, but all well defined and fairly standard on a position by position basis.

But these days it seems too common to get players like Owens who says, “give me the ball”. Or players like Ellis who says, “I want to start”. And even a player like Romo that just wants to have fun and enjoy what he does on the field.

All contract issues aside; there are several players on every team in the National Football League that wants particular things for personal reasons. And that should be fine; Owens wants the ball? Well, he makes plays so why not? It makes sense to get the ball to your play makers, and your play makers know it too so what’s the big deal if they say something about it?

Read the rest of this entry »

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Was it an attempt to quell the ever widening witch hunt that was mounting in his silence? Or was it simply a frustrated quarterback finally feeling up to a media chit-chat? Your call.

But reading the new story on DMN last night made me feel better about the comments Tony Romo made after the blowout loss to Philly this past Christmas. “If this is the worst thing that ever happens to me, then I’ll have lived a pretty good life” Romo said after the game.

Not exactly the words of a warrior, and certainly not what the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys should ever be saying. This prompted Troy Aikman to offer his opinion on the matter while speaking Michael Irvin on his radio show.

“I think maybe things happened so quickly for Tony in terms of obscurity to all of a sudden national spotlight that he hasn’t fully grasped what being the Cowboys quarterback is all about. And you don’t go to Cabo the week before a playoff game. You just don’t do it.

To say, ‘I don’t worry about perception,’ you better worry about perception because it is a big part of making it through some very difficult times.”

This coming from a man that has being the Dallas Cowboys quarterback down to a science. It’s good advice that Tony will likely hear considering its source.

Through his still young career, we’ve seen a couple of different sides to Romo. Under Parcels he was very determined, a little quite, and was the first person to accept blame for the offense.

This past season though, we saw a lot less discipline from him. We saw more of the celebrity quarterback that no one likes.

It’s likely a result of coaching, and the absence of Bill Parcels. But I think that Parcels liked this guy for a reason, and Tony will live up to that soon and get back on track to being this team’s leader.

Nice to hear from Romo on the subject, either way.

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