SUPER BOWL PART 1

Okay I don't really feel like writing about the Super Bowl but I will.
to be honest if the Cowboys aren't in it I don't even feel like watching it.
I will watch it of course, but only because its the last game of the year
that actually counts for something.
I am already dreading watching the stealers play in it this year.
I may not be able to remember where I put my cellphone last night or
where my wallet is but for some reason I cant forget Pittsburgh beating
the beloved Boys in those super bowls of the 70's.
even beating them in super bowl xxx will never erase the memories of the stealers
getting all the breaks when the two teams played back then.
and to be honest I am already dreading watching and listening to all the mediots
tell us who is going to win , who is going to lose, who is going home to play
his last game as a steeler , and why it should matter to me.
I am really dreading having to see bill cowher and his jaw all afternoon.
and troy paluwhatever's hair bouncing around. And hearing the name "big ben ".
so what does a person do who is dreading the long drawn out affair known
as super bowl sunday ?? That's easy.....lets have a Super Bowl Party.
hey misery loves company right ? And if the Boys aren't playing in it....I am miserable . later....poke

i dont need no stinking title

where to start ? so many things to think/write about .
first things first. 2 coaches are gone. Sean Payton the Boys
former assistant head coach/ passing game coordinator
is now the Head Coach at New Orleans and Gary Gibbs , formerly
the linebacker coach went with him to be defensive coordinator.
i'm good with that. i won't miss either of them. i never thought
much about gibbs but i wasnt overly impressed with our linebackers
play lately so a change there may be just what we need. its possible
that he will be replaced with Paul Pasqualoni the former Syracuse Head Coach
who has been coaching the tight ends at Dallas. He was a LB coach before
being named head coach at Syracuse.
As for Payton leaving...all i can say is dont let the door hit you in the butt
on the way out. i never did like his offensive style, mainly because i never
could see that he had one ! i had serious doubts about him when he came to
Dallas. remember he is the guy who had the playcalling taken away from him
by the NY Giants when he was there. there is no telling who parcells will get
to replace him but i dont see it being a big deal. everybody knows who really
runs the show in big D anyway. and i am okay with that, as a matter of fact
i think it might help the Boys create the identity they lack if parcells will
just tell everybody he is calling the plays . you may not be a fan of parcells style
football but at least he has one and it has been sucessful for him in the past.
Drew Henson is going to NFL Europe and i say its about time. Let him play some football. It may not be the real deal but at least he will get some game time.
Besides nobody likes to just practice all the time, you want to "play" the game.
I still think he will be the quarterback of the future for us.
Free Agent signings will start happening soon and i am hoping the Cowboys
are players in this years market. Offensive lineman would be what i would be
shopping for. and a linebacker, and a free safety, maybe a kicker.
oh wait...thats the list from last year. well they are all still needs so
just smooth out the wrinkles from where i wadded it up and use it again.
thats what aggrivated me so much about this years team. me and 789 other people
who dont know anything about football knew where our weaknesses were but nothing
was done to change any of them. i have read that one of the defintions of insanity
is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
Well i say its time to STOP THE INSANITY !
I dont care if it wrong.......just do something !!!!
anyway dont worry about the coaches leaving or drew going to europe or who we sign
or draft, thats Bills job. focus all your energy on rooting for the seahawks to
beat the stealers in the super bowl. after that we can worry about next year.
later.....poke

you are what you are.......it is what it is

the title of course is stolen from mr. parcells himself.
the Boys are/were a 9-7 team this year. and a disappoining 9-7 at that.
how is what i want to know.
this team was 7-3 at one point.
that means this team went 2-4 over the last 6 weeks.
to me this years team just never seemed to have an identity. none. at all.
we weren't a "high octane " offense ( think Indy ), we weren't a "smothering "
defense ( think Chicago..in the regular season). we weren't a "ball control",
"vertical", "west-coast", "east-coast", or any other type offense. we just never
seemed to develop a consistent style of play. on either side of the ball.
i never felt comfortable with the defense either. how could you ? after watching
the redskins sneak back into it and beat us with 2 late touchdowns early in the year
i never felt like we had the game in hand except against Philly in the game at Texas Stadium.
so i decided to look at the stats on nfl.com
i was going to make sense of this one way or the other.
i looked at the league provided stats so if i am wrong ...its not my fault.
i looked at total team offense..we ranked 13th.
i looked at total team defense..we ranked 10th.
not the greatest but by far not the worst.
then i looked at individual stats. passing yards, rushing yards, interceptions,
tackles, scoring, total td's, field goals ( oh how that hurt), passer ratings,
touchdown passes, receiving yards, sacks, kick-0ff returns, punt returns, punting,
fumbles recovered, receptions, receiving td's, and rushing td's. i looked at all
of them.
the only catagories where there was a Cowboy in the top 10 were:
total yards passing.......# 8 drew bledsoe
passing td's..............# 8 drew bledsoe
kick-off return average...# 10 tyson thompson
how depressing is that ?? where are all our playmakers ?
jason witten was ranked 6th at the tight end position for receptions with 66 catches.
so we didnt have an identity as team, and we didnt have any stand-out superstars.
we did have 3 different kickers. a couple of different long snappers.
we had some injuries but so did every other team.
basically we had us a 9-7 team. ........later Poke
thank goodness spring training is coming, and the olympics, and maybe even some
NFL Europe and arena football. i refuse to let the wasted month of february get me down.

just wait till next year !!!!!!!!!

i am starting to feel like a cubs fan. it seems like that has been our
battle cry in CowboysLand forever. i have a new appreciation for the faithful
at Wrigley Field for staying with their beloved cubbies all these years.
long gone are the days of consectutive winning seasons and playoff appearances,
with trips to the Super Bowl sprinkled in .
okay i'm through. had to get that out of my system. i have been feeling down
since last sundays loss and the end of our season. but enough is enough.
time to move on, look forward, pick ourselves up by our own bootstraps...yadda yadda
yadda.
next year is gonna be the one. Cowboys football will rise again !!
a few good moves this offseason and the skys the limit. the question is what moves need to be made ?? who stays, who goes...??
Ol Bill made his decision, he stays. Now we wait and see if Zimmer and Payton
get hired to be somebodys head coach. After watching our offense this year I kind
of hope Payton gets hired to coach a team we play against next year. (subtle dig
at our predictability this year.)
And while i have always liked Zimmers, I wouldn't be too upset if he gets a job
coaching with somebody that is ahead of us by 2 touchdowns or less with just a few
minutes to play. (non-subtle dig at our inability to finish off the redskins at home
on a monday night ). it would be nice to win a game like that .
Then its time to work on free-agency. We need some players. big mean offensive linemen would be a good place to start . I have no inside info, no secret contacts,
no "unnamed sources " like that Mortenson fellow at ESPN who said Parcells was going to retire. Just a gut feeling. I don't think Larry Allen plays for us next year.
WHOAAAAA........yep i said it. I just have this sneaky feeling he is through.
And if he is then thats another hole on our already leaking OLine. We need to
fix that first and foremost. I actually think the young guys we have and played
this year will improve next year. But we need more of them.
Then after free agency there is of course the draft. I dont have a clue what the
Boys will do . Neither does anybody else whose name isn't Parcells or Jones.
What we do in free-agency will determine what happens when the Boys pick 18th.
(or maybe not if we trade around for more picks) See...way too much uncertainty
for me to go out on that limb.
Oh yeah, a decision about who goes to NFL Europe also needs to made. Do you send
Henson, Romo or who to play over there??
Also does Dat retire ?? what about Al Singleton ? Whats gonna happen with Glover
and Ellis ??
So yep i am ready now. no wonder Ol Bill wanted to wait a few days to decide if he was coming back. there are more questions about this team now than there were last year. and some of the questions that were answered weren't good answers.
so i am through moping. lets get it started . training camp opens in about 6 months.
later..........Poke

ps. man wasn't that Vince Young something to watch in the Rose Bowl !! how bout them
LONGHORNS !!

My Daddy Said..............

My old daddy said there would be days like this. What could have been one of the
best, most exciting, plain old fun days Sunday turned into a disappointing,
aggravating heart breaker of a day.
it started out good, our church declared Sunday "wear your team colors" day.
looked like a pep rally as all the college teams were well represented.
I of course had on the Blue....I don't pick just one college team cause
I like to think they are all just farm teams developing players for the Boys.
Then it was time to head for Texas Stadium, had the cooler packed, the grill
gassed up, flags flying. Got there really early, even had to wait till they
unlocked the gates to the parking lot. Perfect.
And that's when I should have known something was up.....
North Texas is in a drought ( not just a Super Bowl drought either..A real one),
everything is dry. The wind was blowing about 20 mph.
The county issued a burn ban and I don't blame them. No fireworks, no open flames,no
outdoor cooking......WHAT ??? At the gate they were handing out notices,
500$ fine for any open fire sources. What were we going to do with those 30
Zummo sausages now ? How were we going to cook those sliced jalapenos filled with
cream cheese and wrapped with bacon ? We weren't and we didn't. A tailgate party
with no food except some cookies and M & M's loses a lot of its magic.
That was Sign # 1.
Of course listening to Atlanta lay down against the Panthers was a killer.
I thought Vick and company would want to prove something. Wrong. Sign # 2.
Oh well , it was still a good day. We were at the stadium, good things were
going to happen, I even had coupons for free hot dog and cokes.
Philly came out smoking against the Skins. Occasional cheers in the parking lot
kept my hopes up whenever the Eagles scored or did something good in their game.
Yep I thought, this was going to be the game of the year and I was there with my
wife, son , brother and the Boys were gonna whip the Rams and get into the playoffs.
So then we go in the stadium early, finish watching the Eagles on the big Jumbotron
screens, scream with all the other crazies when the redskins lost. Wrong..again.
The eagles let the skins get back in the game and then lost it all. Sign # 3.
Still I kept my thoughts on the high road, no dejection for me. The Boys would
come out and PLAY. No quitters here. Pride. It would be fun just watching as
our Team played just to show they were pros. Put on a good show.
It didn't happen that way though. Un-inspired, sloppy, mistake ridden ..pick your cliche. The Boys just couldn't get it done. I screamed, I hollered. It didn't
help. And when the score was tied and our crowd started doing the Wave..while
we were on Offense ...it hit me. Like a ton of bricks it hit me.Sign # 4
and this time I payed attention, I realized this was gonna be one of those days.
like a Monday at work where a 5 minute job takes half a day, like when you go
to cut your grass and end up spending the whole afternoon just trying to get the
stupid mower to start, like when all your doing is tightening up the hose
on the faucet and you bust the pipe and water gushes everywhere until you find the
shut off valve under a foot of dirt...yep one of THOSE days. you know the kind
your old daddy warned you about. later Poke

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