Christmas Wish List # 3

hmm, these lists aren't working out like I planned. Sure THE BOYS won and that was
one wild finish ( it is over isn't it ?? I passed out from holding my breath ,
fell over into the tree, hit my head on the new football display case I got for Christmas and haven't woke up yet). I dreamed that a missed field goal turned into
a game winning touchdown pass. I know better than to over-do it on all that Christmas
food and sweet stuff. Truth is definitely better than fiction.

anyway, I guess since Christmas 2005 has come and gone my next list will have to
be credited against next years wishes. That makes sense because the game actually
won't be played until next year.
there are 16 possible scenarios where our beloved Boys can get into the playoffs.
there are 267,587 websites, newspapers, or tv stations where you can see, print,hear watch and be confused or you can just take my word for it and ROOT FOR THESE TEAMS.
GO Atlanta, philly, Oakland and New Orleans.....and the Cowboys.
I was going to explain all that but then this site would join the other thousands and
just create more visual pollution so I will stop.
oh by the way, if you are watching the game and the Rams break loose deep for a game
winning touchdown and you see an old, overweight, only slightly balding, slow,
limping guy dressed in what looks like brand new stuff he got for Christmas rush
down from about 42 rows up and make a game winning tackle...Please contribute
to the GET-POKE-OUTTA-JAIL fund, and if that works out okay then I will ask
for contributions for my then needed medical funds cuz I am pretty sure I will
hurt something doing that. HAPPY NEW YEAR.....later poke

Christmas Wish List # 2

Okay, so wish list # 1 didn't work out so well.
That doesn't mean I don't still believe in miracles, and a miracle
is what it is going to take for our beloved Cowboys to get into the playoffs now.
Well not a miracle really but a lot of things are going to have to happen
for this season to not end on New Years Night against St. Louis.
For an extremely well researched explanation of the NFL playoff system
and all the tie-breakers and strength of victory calculations and possible
scenarios I suggest you click to this link and read until your head spins
and your eyes burn while your stomach twists into tight knots.

CowboysZone

Start with post # 1 and go until you get tired of it. Post # 1 has been written,
edited, proofed, cussed and discussed. I am pretty sure it is correct because
there are some very sharp folks on that message board who spend a lot of time
making sure the info posted is correct. I say I am pretty sure because I am not
smart enough to know 100% that all their info is correct.

OR....you can not go there and just read my Christmas Wish List # 2 ( which is actually going to end up being # 2 of a 3 part series...which I guess comes from
me listening to sooo many Baptist preachers ) anyway I digress.

Here I go..List 2.

1. Dallas beats Carolina..without this one , the rest lose a lot of significance.
2. Atlanta beats Tampa Bay...this may be disputed by some but bear with me, remember
I intend on using my 3 wishes in list form.
3. New York Giants beat Washington....and no this isn't only because the redskins
beat us so bad last week.
4. Baltimore beats Minnesota...believe me, any other time I wouldn't care what
Baltimore does.
See, its a short, easy to remember, very possible list.
This week we all have to be Cowboy-Falcons-Giants-Ravens Fans.Heck if I had the money
I would go buy those 3 teams jerseys and wear them under my Cowboys stuff.(turned
inside out of course cuz I really don't like any of them but I would wear them.)

If this list works out, Dallas would be 9-6, Carolina 10-5, Atlanta 9-6, Tampa Bay
9-6, New York 11-4 , Washington 8-7, Baltimore WHO-CARES, and Minnesota 8-7.
At this point I am conceding the NFC East to NY Giants, the NFC North to Chicago,
the NFC West to Seattle and trying to set Carolina up to win the NFC South while
still keeping the Pokes in good shape for a wild-card spot.

There are still a few details that will need to be taken care of in the last week
of the season of course but lets take this one week at a time to avoid confusion.
I don't multi-task well so I limit my worries to one week at a time. Stay Tuned.
later.........poke

Verbal Valium

This is for all the people who cant get their prescriptions refilled quick enough.
I have read the papers, all the dfw area columnists are writing the Boys off.
I have watched the sports shows, all the TV guys are writing the Boys off.
I have visited the "message boards" ( which is where the supposedly really good fans
go to spout their wisdom of all things football) and the reactions there amaze me.
from all I have read, seen, and heard the Cowboys now need to : FIRE PARCELLS,
re-do the whole offensive line, bench Jones for Barber, put Romo in, cut the kicker,
release the punter, ditch the long snapper, play the rookies more, bench the rookies,
get a real General Manager, play more wide open , be more conservative, switch back to the 4-3, stay in the 3-4, re-hire the kicking coach, fire the Def. Coordinator Zimmer, quit using Aaron Glenn to cover the best receiver, play Roy Williams closer
to the line, move Roy Williams back into coverage, RE-HIRE Jimmy Johnson, change
our draft pick and take Merriman instead of Ware ( who was much loved earlier this year ), ohh and the most analytical of all...QUIT WEARING THE BLUE JERSEYS.
I HATED seeing us lose Sunday. But what I really hate is seeing "fans" give up on
a team. Last time I looked its a "16 game " season. there are still multiple
scenarios where the Cowboys can get into the playoffs. Then its a whole new season.
35-7, that's a butt whipping. Anybody who has ever played sports has had games like
that happen. Nothing works right, just cant seem to get things going. Its not fun.
nobody planned it that way. The redskins just plain whipped us, beat our tails,
and turned us every which way but loose. Okay, it happens, its over, move on.
if you have been paying attention this year every week a team wins that wasn't
supposed to. there are 2 games left, time to start thinking about the next one not the last one. Get Carolina on our minds, take care of winning it and hope the right
teams get beat to help us out. We don't have time to moan and complain , that's what
the off-season is for. Regroup, gather your wits, work harder, stay focused.
these are pretty much the same guys who had a 7-3 record not that long ago.
sure we have had injuries, so has every other team so that's not an excuse .
anyway I had to rant...the attitude of the Cowboy Kingdom is disturbing right now.
reminds me way too much of the old Oiler fans. Me I am going to start working
on my Christmas Wish List # 2 since #1 didn't work out too well. later Poke

Christmas Wish List # 1

Okay I said I would look at the other games this week and let everybody
know who needs to beat who to help the Boys out. I did look. I am now
confused. Way too many "ifs" and "buts". I never did learn how to use a
slide rule and I never trusted anybody that ever did learn so I am
just going to ignore all those guys. Take it one week at a time. No big picture
for me. Tunnel vision. Besides its Christmas so a lot of time usually spent pondering the Good Guys has to go to getting to a mall, dodging the crowds and
just being festive. So here's what I want to happen this week in the NFL.

New England beats Tampa Bay ( I hate NE but TB is in our conference).
Kansas City beats New York Giants ( no brainer..duhh).
New Orleans beats Carolina (anybody that may keep us out of the playoffs needs to lose)
Tennessee beats Seattle (this one probably doesn't matter but you never know it
might keep us from going to the Northwest in the playoffs)
Chicago beats Atlanta ( I say let Chicago go ahead, win their division, beat out
our wild-card competition , surely we could beat Kyle Orton).
DALLAS beats washington.....cuz we need to plus its washington.
oh yeah and philthydelphia loses .....just cause I don't like them.( no playoff implications at all just a healthy dose of meanness, spite and pettiness on my part.)
if I missed a game sorry, I'm no expert, besides its like you have been told
all your life....you get what you pay for and this only costs a little time.
later.........poke

Looks Like We Are Not Just Americas Team

What a game !! That was sooo intense that it was almost hard to enjoy. It was
actually Monday morning before I stopped being nervous about that game. ( and that
was only after I watched it on TV again to make sure it wasn't a dream.)

5 lead changes, an opposing runner who had 3 TD's against our great defense,
a wide open Dante Hall getting the pass on the 24 yard line WITH enough time
for the Chiefs to kick a field goal to tie the game. I was as nervous as a
long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.( I had to work in at least one old timers saying, and that ones nicer than the other one I know about a "lady" in church.)

Not to mention that there were about 15,000 Chiefs fans there doing their best
to pretend it was their Home field. Every time the Boys had the ball at one end of
the field they made way too much noise. Especially the one sitting right in front
of me. He was a nice guy and all that. He just didn't realize that I didn't want to be
friends with a Chiefs fan for those 3 1/2 hours. I admit it. I am a bad sport.
Always have been, I try not to be, but it doesn't look like I am going to outgrow
that bad habit anytime soon. I couldn't stand the idea of having to tell him good game if the Cowboys had lost. I would have done it but I wouldn't have enjoyed it.
(okay maybe I wouldn't have done it but I like to think I might have).

Anyway, it was an awesome place to be Sunday afternoon. Fun game to watch.
Even the halftime show was cool with kids and dancers and fireworks and THE
CHEERLEADERS dressed like Santas helpers. Fireworks. LOUD , OBNOXIOUS FANS, (ours mainly ), crowded parking lots, cool enough to feel like football weather.
AND...some fat guy with a white beard who apparently likes the Cowboys better than
the Chiefs and gave us all an early Christmas present when he H0-HO-Ho'ed so loud
that it blew that last second field goal attempt.....WIDE RIGHT.

Later this week i will look at who needs to beat who to help us out the most in the playoff race but for now I am just beginning to really enjoy Sundays game.

ITS beginning to look a lot like Christmas..........later Poke

Its all my fault

Well I feel terrible. The Boys lost, and they played terrible on
offense. Our defense keeps putting up good games but the offense
is killing them ( and me ).
anyway due to some travel plans and some Holiday festivities
I only watched 4 plays of the whole game. Gasp..Cough..I know
hard to believe isn't it ?? I saw the first 4 plays of the game before
getting on the road. So don't blame Bledsoe...Don't blame our offensive
tackles, our weak guards or our center (who cant keep his guy blocked
long enough for Bledsoe to even hand the ball off to JJ.
NOPE...BLAME ME. Its all my fault, I wasn't glued in front of the TV.
I couldn't call 1-800-BILL and rush in some plays or strategy.
I did listen to the game on the radio in the car. Its been a while
since I have done that.
Here's a warning.....don't be anywhere near me while I am listening to
the Cowboys while trying to drive. Those people with cell phones or putting
on their make-up couldn't have driven worse than I was when I was listening
as the Boys . Its hard to drive when you are pounding the steering wheel,
turning the volume up ( or down when you get really mad ) and screaming at the top
of your lungs. I bet it looked pretty weird too since I was alone in the car.
anyway...All is not lost in spite of what the experts say. Just gotta take care
of the rest of the games now and maybe hope for some help along the way.
keep the faith......BEAT the Chiefs...and all will be well in my world again.
later Poke

If We Make it Through December.........

Everythings gonna be alright I know, its the toughest part of our schedule
and I shiver when I think of where we have to go..... Okay my apologies to Merle
Haggard for changing the words to his classic song around but it sure applies to the
Cowboys.
4 games this month, played in 21 days, 3 on the road, 1 at home.
First game is the New York Football Giants ( the reason us old timers say that is because at one time there were also the New York Baseball Giants but they moved to San Francisco ).
The Giants have the same record we do, 7-4. THEY are 5-1 at home so far this season.
We did beat them at home but it was tough and it took OverTime to do it. What we do
against them may be a good indicator of how the month is going to go for US.
Secong game is the Kansas City Chiefs. They also have the same record as the Boys. BUT...This game at least is played at Texas Stadium. The Chiefs
are 3-3 on the road but as the UnderArmour commercial says.."We must protect this house !!! ". That becomes even more true since this is the ONLY HOME game this month.
Third game is against the hated DEADSKINS in Washington. They are
5-6 right now. Ignore that. They are 4-2 at home. They have already beaten us once, at our own place. They were down 13-0 late in the game. It was Monday night.
It was a game that the Cowboys should have and could have won but we didn't.
That makes this game even more important. Division records and all that stuff.
So now its payback time.
BUT...Don't let their record lull you to sleep. Its Washington, they hate US
and its at their place...ain't gonna be no walk in the park.
Fourth gameis the Carolina Panthers. They have an 8-4 record.
They are 4-1 at Home. They have the "great Jake", and a good defense. Its the day
before Christmas...maybe the Cowboys will be ticked off at being away from home.
Hopefully when we get to this game our record will have 3 more wins added to it.
It's real hard to predict this far ahead of time what is going to happen or how.
Too many things can change, injuries, losing streaks that take you out of contention,
winning streaks that build your confidence. Me, I'm betting that this game has huge
implications for if, when and where the Cowboys play in the postseason.

4 games, 21 days apart, against teams that have a combined 27-17 record. One of whom
(and it happens to be the only one with a losing record )has already beaten us AT HOME.

So...just like the great Merle, and also my brother and I always say.
If WE Make it Through December.......I am sure looking forward to it.
I will worry later about the games in January and who knows, maybe February.
For now, DECEMBER presents a big enough headache..and I am not even talking about
Christmas shopping. later Poke