Cowboys in chaos

Nick Halling wonders what's going on at Dallas and salutes Tampa, Schaub, Moss - but not Moore!

Two defeats leave Dallas in a mess - on and off the field

I wasn't worried about the Dallas Cowboys, even after a fairly slow pre-season. I wasn't even particularly worried when they were beaten by the Redskins in Week One. And I certainly wasn't worried ahead of a home game with the Chicago Bears. I always thought that once they'd got that offensive line up to strength and once they'd got that first game out of their way - because Week One does catch people out and you're never really in full flow - they would be ok. But, it just hasn't clicked into place. I still don't think there is any real reason for alarm, but they really should be beating teams like Chicago, at home, if they are going to be play-off contenders. What made it more surprising was that they started off so well; it was just that the Bears made adjustments and Dallas did not react and make their own changes off the back of that. That has to be down to the coaching staff as well. It's not often that Wade Phillips gets out-coached on the defensive side of the ball but we could all see on TV what was going on, yet he did not make any adjustments whatsoever. Offensively Dallas will throw the football and throw it consistently, but Tony Romo is still a man who will make the odd mistake and a man that needs the pressure lifted off him with a good running game - and theirs just isn't working at the moment. I know it's not en vogue in the NFL at the moment, but I think they need to settle down with just one guy. If they can get some sort of rhythm going with a big bruising guy like Marion Barber, or a little quick guy who can make one tackler miss and then get big yards under his belt like Felix Jones, that would be better. Add Tashard Choice to that mix and right now those backs are getting a few plays and then they're out. We saw what that can do when Choice came in cold right before half-time and fumbled for the touchdown against Washington.

Ridiculous

Of course though, it was a ridiculous decision. There was no need for that play and that call comes down to one man - Tony Romo. Romo is definitely a quarterback with potential, but he's just not fulfilling it. He's an exciting and engaging guy, he's a good leader but his decision-making does get suspect when he's put under pressure, when the heat is on. If you think of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, even Ben Rothlisberger and Donovan McNabb, these guys will probably make the right decision in a high-pressure game and pull out a game-winning pass somewhere along the line. But when the chips are down with Tony Romo, you just get the feeling he's going to screw it up. And I only say that because very often in the past he has! It's only a small thing but that play at the end of the first half in Week One summed it up. There is no way he should be putting his running back in a position like that and that comes down to the quarterback. That wasn't a call phoned in from the sideline, that was his decision and it was wrong. And the worrying thing from Tony Romo's perspective is these are the sort of errors you can expect in your first or second year - not from a guy that's in the prime of his career. But you look around that Dallas offense and you have to ask, who are the leaders on that team? Jason Witten is one, that offensive line has been around, but maybe it is what they are lacking. Romo does have leadership skills but we're just not seeing any evidence of them. Dallas might lack a leader on the field, but that does not mean they need Jerry Jones strutting up and down the sidelines like that in the middle of a game. He is the owner and the general manager and is not just there for decoration, but I don't think it helps the players one bit. He should be in his executive box and get involved with the post-mortem afterwards. Inadvertently - because I don't think he means to do it - he puts an awful lot of pressure on his players and in particular his coaching staff. It's the last thing Wade Phillips needs as well, because he is a coach that is very, very laid-back. He's the sort of bloke if you met him, had dinner or a couple of beers with him, you'd think he was the nicest guy in the world - and believe me, some head coaches are not that nice to be around!

Pressure

It might well work in his favour though, because he probably doesn't get too bothered having Jerry Jones over his shoulder and let's face it Dallas is a goldfish bowl anyway, so it will help there. But I just wonder sometimes if he is too nice to be a head coach. As a defensive coach he's always been terrific. Wherever he's been - and he's been around for a long time - he's coached strong, hard-hitting 3-4 defenses. But the question will always be, as it is with Norv Turner at San Diego: he's a great co-ordinator, but is he cut out to be a head coach? The answer to that right now might well be no, because they're 0-2. But Dallas is a little bit different; there's always pressure on the Cowboys. As soon as they win a game, everyone says 'can they go all the way?', and every time they lose it's 'oh my God, there's a crisis'. They are the Manchester United of the NFL, the focus is always on them and the hunger on them in the state of Texas to be successful is enormous. As far back as two years ago Jerry Jones came out and said he would like them to be the first host side to win the Super Bowl and immediately everyone picked up on it. It's one thing for the coach to say it, like Rex Ryan at the Jets, but when the owner says it, it just trickles down and ends up with more pressure on the players. They go across state to face Houston this weekend, which is not where you'd neccesarily choose to go and get your season back on track and whereas I wasn't worried before the Chicago game, I do worry for Wade Phillips and the Cowboys now. Looking at their schedule they've got Tennessee, they've got to go to Minnesota and Green Bay, they've got New Orelans and are then at Indianapolis, so already they are looking at a 10-6 season. The teams in the NFC East will beat each other, but that's a tough division to fall behind in. Like I say it's still too early to press the panic button, but if they go 0-3 this week, I would go out on a limb and say it would be extremely difficult for them to make the play-offs. And that makes you wonder how long it will be before Jerry is marching down that sideline with a P45 or two in his hands.

Nick's Picks of the Week

TEAM - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (bt Carolina 20-7)
It has to be Tampa Bay. They have won both games but I had them down as massive underdogs going to Carolina this weekend, and although Carolina do have problems, you've got to hand it to the Buccs. They are not going to be going to the play-offs but they have clearly addressed the big problems they had last season and a big pat on the back has to go to their coach, Raheem Morris. This time last year he looked like he'd been pitched in way over his head, but he is a very quick learner and I'm impressed with the performances he is getting from a very young squad. He is getting the best out of Josh Freeman and their young rookie wide receiver Mike Williams, looks like he's been a pro all his life. On the evidence we've seen so far he has to be a contender for Rookie of the Year. Player - Matt Schaub (Houston, 28/52, 497yds 3TD's)
It has to go to Matt Schaub. You're on the road, 27-10 down in Washington and to pull a team like the Texans back from that takes something special. It needs more than a quarterback's performance of course, but he has got to be the guy that leads by example. They were in a big hole and he had to throw, the Redskins knew he had to throw, but he was completing plays all over the field - under intense pressure too, because defensively they were struggling. Schaub knew he had to put the ball in the end zone and to bounce back from Week One when he was asked to do absolutely nothing to throw just shy of 500 yards is something else. He does have the best receiver in the NFL in Andre Johnson to throw to, but that is a mega performance from Schaub. Touchdown - Randy Moss (New England, 34yd catch v New York Jets)
This was no ordinary 34-yard TD. The way he caught then carried that ball, one-handed, was like a waiter bringing a bottle of wine to your table. It was just incredible. I watched the replays thinking they were going to call it back for not having the ball under control, saying he'd bobbled the ball and what an idiot he'd been for not putting his second hand on it. But he caught it and controlled it in full-flight, perfectly with one hand - and that is almost impossible. Every time you see it, you think 'how the hell did he do that?'. But that's Randy Moss. There's a touch of the Eric Cantona's about him; he doesn't give a stuff, he does things his own way but there is never any question about his talent. I do think he performs better with a chip on his shoulder, something that bothers him or something to get angry about. Coach - Jim Coldwell (Indianapolis, bt New York Giants 38-14)
The Indianapolis Colts were still a lot of people's favourites for the Super Bowl last year but he was badly out-coached by Sean Peyton and then his team were horribly over-matched in Week One, yet they came out with a totally different mindset against the Giants. The execution on both sides of the football was phenomenal and it was literally like watching two different teams; the shirt numbers were the same but that was about it. As much as that is down to players and assistant coaches, somebody has to set a tone for that - and that has to be the head coach. I have had a quizzical eye on Jim over the last couple of weeks because of the Super Bowl and the fact they have a very hands-on owner/general manager and I did wonder how much the Colts really needed him. Well, the coach sets the tone and the one he set against the Giants was one of complete control and authority. Very impressive. Clanger - Matt Moore (Carolina)
On any given week it would go to the Tennesse Titans for their seven fumbles, three interceptions and a good all-round team effort, but I guess I am going to have to give it to the Carolina Panthers quarterback. He was appointed franchise quarterback at the start of the season; he gets knocked out and hardly plays at all in game one; he plays in game two at home to a supposedly weaker team in Tampa, and ends up getting benched late on. And he will be replaced by a rookie in game three. If ever a guy was handed an opportunity to put things right but failed to grab it with one hand, never mind both, it was Matt Moore.