What looked to be a promising season for “America’s Team” has turned into something beyond what every dedicated Cowboy fan expected.
Injuries, old and inexperienced quarterbacks, and Adam “Pacman” Jones’ suspension have all contributed to the downfall of their 5-4 record.
This record was definitely not on the radar of any Cowboy fan.
The Cowboys successfully achieved last place in the NFC East after their loss against the Giants Sunday, 35-14.
With the Giants (7-1), Redskins (6-2), Eagles (5-3) and the bye coming up, the Cowboys better make good use of their week off and regroup.
The lack of key players is evident with every game. Errors, penalties, confusion on the field, interceptions, dropped passes and poor tackling, need I go on, collectively have everything to do with the standings the Cowboys have as they enter their bye week.
Well, what’s going to happen after the bye? Will the Cowboys recover from the deep hole they’ve dug for themselves?
They have a lot of work to do and fans just can’t count on the return of key players to get them out. It’s going to take hard work and a team effort to earn their place back in the standings.
Cowboys head coach, Wade Phillips, believes since Tony Romo’s right pinkie has been healing for three weeks he’ll be ready to throw in time to face the Redskins after the bye.
“Just (from) the doctor’s reports that he will be able to throw the ball this week,” Phillips announced. “And that his finger is healing. Once it’s healed, he should be fine. It takes 3-4 weeks to heal that type of break he had and I think it’s coming along real well there. He will probably throw some this week, maybe not in practice but he will throw some this week and should be able to throw next week.”
As long as the Cowboys get their heads back in the game as a team and make each play count, they still stand a good chance of finishing the regular season in good standings. A few losses from the Giants and Redskins wouldn’t hurt either.
So much pressure and high expectations have been put on this team that it’s no wonder things have gotten out of control. And injuries sometimes can’t be helped.
Why can’t the Cowboys just get out on the field and play football? It never fails that when they’re counted on the most and have so much at stake, they simply can’t execute as a team and get the touchdowns they need to stay in the game for a win.
This team is made up of so much talent, yet with unexpected injuries hanging in the balance and seven games left to prove they can make the playoffs there’s a lot of work left to do.
One can only hope that when the Cowboys face Washington in two weeks, Romo will be able to return as quarterback.
Other key injured players include Felix Jones with a torn hamstring, Jason Witten with a fractured rib and Terence Newman with a sports hernia, all of whom are expected to be better by Washington on Nov. 16. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
But if you’re a dedicated fan, don’t give up hope. There’s plenty of time left in the season to get back on track. Anything is possible, especially after the bye. After all, it is the Dallas Cowboys.
Rita Zech is double majoring in Spanish and journalism. She can be reached for comment at [email protected].
