Sep
26
2008
26
2008
You Heard It Here First!
An article by Joe D.
It’s time for me to lay it all on the line and make what I know some of you will call an outlandish suggestion. But, please hear me out before you simply pass this off as the ravings of just another avid Cowboys fan.
After back-to-back games with two tough opponents in the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers, the Cowboys can make a huge statement against a lesser opponent like the Washington Redskins this weekend.
After stepping up and playing full throttle in their first three games of the season, it would be so easy to ease up a bit as they ready themselves for this Redskins match-up.
A word of advice… Don’t ease up!
The Cowboys need to gun it and rev it up for a season that can be just as remarkable and extraordinary as that of the New England Patriots last season. The thought of an undefeated regular season may sound a bit premature, but when you consider how well the Cowboys have looked against some of the fiercest competition in the NFL so far this season, a 16-0 season really doesn’t seem like a stretch at all.
The Cowboys now find themselves atop the NFC East with a 3-0 record after convincing victories against the Browns, Eagles and Packers. While it’s easy for anyone to say the Eagles were the toughest match-up of the three, let me remind you that the Browns and Packers combined were 23-9 and both teams finished first in their division last season.
Ahhh… do I have your attention now?
Assuming the Cowboys secure a victory against the Redskins this weekend, their next three games would be against the Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams. Last season, those three teams combined for an 18-30 record. This year they are a combined 2-7.
Do I still have your attention?
It’s not a stretch to assume that the Cowboys will have an undefeated record of 7-0 almost halfway through the season. Their next two games against the Buccaneers and the Giants may prove to be tough matchups, especially playing the Giants at New York. However, I don’t see either of these games being any tougher than beating the Eagles or trouncing the Green Bay Packers at the “Frozen Tundra”.
Sure the Giants are also 3-0 so far this season, but when you consider they started the season against the Redskins, Rams and Bengals, you begin to see the picture with perfect clarity. The Giants are not in the same class as the Dallas Cowboys. What happened last season is now a distant memory, and even so, their victory over the Giants came as the result of one dropped pass. They didn’t beat us, we beat ourselves.
I’m going to end my analysis here, but let me be the first to go on record as saying that the Cowboys will enter their bye week with a record of 9-0. After their bye, they will return to play the Redskins a second time in week 11. At that time, the talk of an undefeated season will dominate the networks and sports sites with as much fervor as it did last year for the Patriots.
I just want you to remember your heard it here on LoneStarStruck.com first.
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I ALREADY SAID THAT IN ALL MY BLOGS
SHOWTIMEBOYS……
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Be careful of undefeated seasons when it’s only the 4th week. Let’s take it one game and at a time. It’s a possibility but don’t think if they lose one or a couple games it doesn’t mean the season is over. Go Cowboys!
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Joe,
There are several statements you made in your blog, I couldn’t agree with more, and also very well written I might add. I must respectfully say though that in this day and time of professional sports, especially professional football, an undefeated season is a very tough task. I agree that the Patriots last year kept the heat turned up all season and had a remarkable year almost reaching that pinnacle of 19-0. In the end though they ran up against a Giants team that got hot at the end of the season and went on a 10 in a row winning streak which resulted in a Super Bowl loss.
Speaking as an avid and die-hard Cowboy’s fan that I know you and I are, there are so many variables that come into play when trying to reach that goal of a perfect season. A feat that has not been accomplished since the 72′ Dolphins. With that said I think the Pat’s took their eye off the prize last year. As the season was coming to a close, the Pat’s began to get caught up in all the hype and media frenzy of beating the “72′ miracle Dolphin’s” record and it seemed they lost sight of what was really important, another Super Bowl title.
Players are so much bigger, stronger, and faster today than they were in the early 70′s. An example, in 1972, now inducted Hall of Fame offensive lineman Larry Little played at 265 lbs. and ran a 4.7 40 yd dash. Most offensive lineman today are 320 plus and are running 4.5 40′s. The competition is so close in the NFL, and even closer since the beginning of the salary cap. Not to mention it only takes one or two key injuries and it can turn the complexity of your entire season around.
In my opinion, the Pat’s will be fortunate to make the playoffs this year. If they do, more than likely be gone in the first round. If Brady had not gone down for the season, they probably would be dominating the AFC again. I tell you what is really scary. Just today I read a story where some NFL experts think the 3 best teams in football at this point are the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants! I think the Cowboys have to take every opportunity they can to rest the starters because a 16 game season is very grueling and takes a toll on player’s bodies. This Cowboys team has the “makings” to be very special, but they also need to insure they all stay in one piece. I agree with you completely that the Cowboys should never turn down the heat, as a team can become complacent and somewhat “rusty”. I just think they need to take any chance they can to ease up at times and stay as healthy as possible.
There is an urban legend that every season, whenever the last remaining undefeated NFL team loses its first game, all the surviving members of the 72′ Miami Dolphins open bottles of champagne in celebration. I want this year’s Cowboys team to be the first to spoil that party. Let the games be played and if the undefeated season comes our way then this team will be called the greatest ever. I just don’t want them to lose focus, but keep their eye’s clearly on the prize.
Joe,
I always enjoy reading your blogs as they are very informative, candid, and very well written. I look forward to reading more of your masterpieces in the future.
Steve Minor aka Mrsports
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Hey joe! Hope your having a great weekend. Now, about being Undefeated?? No. More like 14-2. Look, last time the Cowboys even had a (W) in week sixteen is back in 1999. We have a bad time just finishing the season. And this year most likely wont be any differant. That’s why back in September, one of the two games I saw us losing was against the eagles in week 16. The other is against the giants in NY. Yes, We have a great team!! Undefeated?? No. If it happens? GREAT! If not? No biggie. JUST WIN WHEN IT REALLY MATTERS!!PLAYOFFS!!SUPERBOWL!!GO COWBOYS!!
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