Post by prossman on Jan 14, 2009 4:10:12 GMT -7
Topsy Turvy
Parity Reigns In NFC, But Cowboys Have Work To Do
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Rob Phillips - Email
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
January 13, 2009 5:59 PM Change Font Size A A A A
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Mick's Mail: Friday, January 9, 2009
IRVING, Texas - Should the Dallas Cowboys feel better or worse watching two wild-card teams in the conference championship round?
Better or worse seeing two other nine-win NFC teams, the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals, inch a step closer to Super Bowl XLIII?
Optimistic, knowing no team in their conference is parity-proof, that the right mix of momentum and execution can result in a deep run? Or sick, knowing season-long inconsistency cost them a playoff spot while the Eagles and the Cardinals (of all teams) crashed the party?
For sanity's sake this off-season, the NFC's current climate does suggest there's reason for a little optimism:
Only one NFC team (St. Louis Rams) has made more than one Super Bowl appearance in the last 10 years.
Only two teams have won back-to-back Super Bowls over the last 10 years. Neither team (Denver Broncos and New England Patriots) resides in the NFC.
The Detroit Lions are the only NFC team out of 16 that hasn't made the playoffs this decade.
Of the 16 participants in eight NFC championship games this decade, only five (2001 Eagles, 2002 Eagles, 2003 Eagles, 2005 Seattle Seahawks, 2007 Giants) returned to the playoffs the following season. And those '07 Giants were the only holdovers in this year's six-team NFC playoff field.
This year, none of the top three seeds reached the conference title game for the first time ever.
Parity still reigns in the NFC.
Philadelphia has been the closest thing to dominant, making the postseason seven times in the last nine years and appearing in five title games. The Cowboys would like to establish that kind of consistency. They came within a victory of clinching three straight playoff berths for the first time since 1996, but the Eagles slammed that door shut in the regular-season finale, 44-6.
So ended a turbulent year sidetracked by injuries and reports of locker room discord that made nine wins seem like three. Fans expected more, and so did the team itself. The frustration is understandable considering its own high expectations following a 13-win season in 2007.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones preached coaching staff continuity after the team's embarrassing loss to Philadelphia and reiterated that Wade Phillips would return for a third season. The roster likely won't change much, either - 14 of 25 starters (including kicker Nick Folk, punter Mat McBriar and long snapper L.P. Ladouceur) are signed through at least 2011, and linebacker DeMarcus Ware almost certainly will sign a lucrative extension before he's scheduled to hit free agency next year.
The Cowboys already have made two somewhat significant moves. They released troubled-but-talented cornerback Adam Jones, who started four games and returned kicks, and hired Joe DeCamillis to shore up the special teams struggles.
More coaching changes are possible, since assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Jason Garrett is one of five finalists for the St. Louis Rams' vacant head coaching job. But right now the team appears confident it can succeed next year by maintaining stability.
"Because it happens every year," quarterback Tony Romo said after the finale. "You look at plenty of teams - guys lose pieces sometimes and they're better.
"I think this team has a great future ahead of it. Obviously we didn't show it (against the Eagles) and I'm disappointed and frustrated. But we will be better next year than we are right now. I promise you that."
The Cowboys, who lost to all four remaining playoff teams (Philadelphia, Arizona, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens) during the regular season, can't point to a friendlier schedule next year.
Fourteen games in 2009 (six against the NFC East, four each against the NFC South and AFC West) already were guaranteed; they'll also play fellow third-place NFC teams Seattle and New Orleans.
With a similar roster returning, the key will be execution. Phillips pointed to his team's minus-11 turnover ratio as one problem area, but he also admitted he must adjust his coaching style.
"We have to (make) changes as far as overall, the team," Phillips said. "But there are other things, including off-seasons, mini-camps and practices that I have to look at and alter some things and modify some things.
"But to get to the standard we want and our fans want, I don't see any other way."
This year's NFC finalists aren't without warts, either. Six weeks ago, Eagles head coach Andy Reid benched quarterback Donovan McNabb during a blowout loss to Baltimore, which prompted questions about both men's job security. The Cardinals lost four of their final six games and made the playoffs because they won a weak division.
One team will play in the Super Bowl in two and a half weeks. The Cowboys are talented enough to beat both teams. They split two games with the Eagles and lost to the Cardinals in overtime after Romo fractured his pinkie finger.
Should that make them feel better or worse this off-season?
The answer is probably both. Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS
Parity Reigns In NFC, But Cowboys Have Work To Do
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rob Phillips - Email
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
January 13, 2009 5:59 PM Change Font Size A A A A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mick's Mail: Friday, January 9, 2009
IRVING, Texas - Should the Dallas Cowboys feel better or worse watching two wild-card teams in the conference championship round?
Better or worse seeing two other nine-win NFC teams, the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals, inch a step closer to Super Bowl XLIII?
Optimistic, knowing no team in their conference is parity-proof, that the right mix of momentum and execution can result in a deep run? Or sick, knowing season-long inconsistency cost them a playoff spot while the Eagles and the Cardinals (of all teams) crashed the party?
For sanity's sake this off-season, the NFC's current climate does suggest there's reason for a little optimism:
Only one NFC team (St. Louis Rams) has made more than one Super Bowl appearance in the last 10 years.
Only two teams have won back-to-back Super Bowls over the last 10 years. Neither team (Denver Broncos and New England Patriots) resides in the NFC.
The Detroit Lions are the only NFC team out of 16 that hasn't made the playoffs this decade.
Of the 16 participants in eight NFC championship games this decade, only five (2001 Eagles, 2002 Eagles, 2003 Eagles, 2005 Seattle Seahawks, 2007 Giants) returned to the playoffs the following season. And those '07 Giants were the only holdovers in this year's six-team NFC playoff field.
This year, none of the top three seeds reached the conference title game for the first time ever.
Parity still reigns in the NFC.
Philadelphia has been the closest thing to dominant, making the postseason seven times in the last nine years and appearing in five title games. The Cowboys would like to establish that kind of consistency. They came within a victory of clinching three straight playoff berths for the first time since 1996, but the Eagles slammed that door shut in the regular-season finale, 44-6.
So ended a turbulent year sidetracked by injuries and reports of locker room discord that made nine wins seem like three. Fans expected more, and so did the team itself. The frustration is understandable considering its own high expectations following a 13-win season in 2007.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones preached coaching staff continuity after the team's embarrassing loss to Philadelphia and reiterated that Wade Phillips would return for a third season. The roster likely won't change much, either - 14 of 25 starters (including kicker Nick Folk, punter Mat McBriar and long snapper L.P. Ladouceur) are signed through at least 2011, and linebacker DeMarcus Ware almost certainly will sign a lucrative extension before he's scheduled to hit free agency next year.
The Cowboys already have made two somewhat significant moves. They released troubled-but-talented cornerback Adam Jones, who started four games and returned kicks, and hired Joe DeCamillis to shore up the special teams struggles.
More coaching changes are possible, since assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Jason Garrett is one of five finalists for the St. Louis Rams' vacant head coaching job. But right now the team appears confident it can succeed next year by maintaining stability.
"Because it happens every year," quarterback Tony Romo said after the finale. "You look at plenty of teams - guys lose pieces sometimes and they're better.
"I think this team has a great future ahead of it. Obviously we didn't show it (against the Eagles) and I'm disappointed and frustrated. But we will be better next year than we are right now. I promise you that."
The Cowboys, who lost to all four remaining playoff teams (Philadelphia, Arizona, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens) during the regular season, can't point to a friendlier schedule next year.
Fourteen games in 2009 (six against the NFC East, four each against the NFC South and AFC West) already were guaranteed; they'll also play fellow third-place NFC teams Seattle and New Orleans.
With a similar roster returning, the key will be execution. Phillips pointed to his team's minus-11 turnover ratio as one problem area, but he also admitted he must adjust his coaching style.
"We have to (make) changes as far as overall, the team," Phillips said. "But there are other things, including off-seasons, mini-camps and practices that I have to look at and alter some things and modify some things.
"But to get to the standard we want and our fans want, I don't see any other way."
This year's NFC finalists aren't without warts, either. Six weeks ago, Eagles head coach Andy Reid benched quarterback Donovan McNabb during a blowout loss to Baltimore, which prompted questions about both men's job security. The Cardinals lost four of their final six games and made the playoffs because they won a weak division.
One team will play in the Super Bowl in two and a half weeks. The Cowboys are talented enough to beat both teams. They split two games with the Eagles and lost to the Cardinals in overtime after Romo fractured his pinkie finger.
Should that make them feel better or worse this off-season?
The answer is probably both. Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS