thanks Dallas Cowboys

what a day.
thats the kind of day Thanksgiving was invented by Al Gore for.
great weather, GREAT FOOD, great company and GREAT FOOTBALL.
The Boys took care of business, hopefully the injuries arent too bad
for Ware and Barber...use these 10 days to heal up.
Tashard Choice looked really good running that ball.
Great to see Witten and Romo hooking up again.
TO did what he does...(make great catches, miss a routine one )
and Roy 11 seems to be getting a feel for the offense.
Holland at left guard appeared better than Proctor.
The DEFENSE was awesome, NO TD's !! Scandrick is a player !
James was what he should always be.
Good grief we even had a great kick return by Stanback !!
how long have we been waiting to see him do something ?
so the Boys have set themselves up to be able to make a run
at the playoffs....it oughta be interesting !
later Poke

is it Thanksgiving already ?

man i am slipping.
its game day and i never even waxed poetically about last weeks
big win over the whiners.
the way that game started i was afraid we were in for a long day
at the Tabernacle.
the big plays to TO,and the defensive stands in the red zone kept the game
from getting away from us.
The blocked punt felt huge in waking the whole team and the crowd up.
Good job but no time for looking back.
The Boys will hopefully come out smokin T-day, get ahead early and stay
with it so I can enjoy the feasting and holiday atmosphere that is Thanksgiving
Day at Texas Stadium.
I can only imagine if I am having trouble finding time to blog for 5 minutes
about the Good Guys how hard it is for the players and coaches to get focused
on playing again Thursday after the game Sunday.
So heres wishing all a Happy Thanksgiving....we all have plenty to be thankful for.
later Poke

long road back

well that was the first step.
good job Cowboys.
they played with an urgency and sense of purpose.
those bye weeks are a good thing.
good to see Romo out there, push passing that ball......
you could tell that pinkie bothered him some but he was so much better
than the other guys we could send out.
thats the defense we thought we would have all year, thanks T-New !!
i agreed with Wades choice at the end not to kick that field goal because
the last thing i wanted to see was our kickoff team have to stop anybody.
at some point you have to impose your will on the other guys and show them
that you can beat em and thats what our o-line and Mr. Barber did.
this was the start of that long road back the good guys face to get into the
playoffs. our earlier miscues have cost us the right to look too far ahead.
the biggest game of the year is against the 49ers. its a must win.
i plan on copying that last line and re-blogging it every week and just cutting
out the opponent and typing in the new opponent.
thats part of my saving energy....going green initiative...gotta save all the electronic trees you can you know...
shouldnt be too hard to work up a hate for the 49ers should it ?
so heres hoping the Boys get back to work this week, add some new wrinkles and
maybe spend a few extra minutes working on kickoff coverage.
later Poke

back to work

well i feel good. the effects of blogging for 9 games was catching up to me.
strained eyes are kind of day to day but that nagging carpal tunnel seems to be 100%.
the aching back from sitting hunched over typing has responded to treatment and i expect to be on top of my game from here on out.
i also expect to see a different team against them no good deadskins sunday night.
this team will have newman, kosier, spencer, felix jones, tony romo all back from injuries along with the added threat of roy (ut) williams. flozell should be closer to
100% than he was and the ribs of witten have got to be feeling better even if they arent healed up.
there is no reason we cant expect marked improvement over the last few weeks with our guys back and healthy.
maybe the coaching staff did make a few tweaks and will have a better game plan, heck maybe they spent some time talking about penalties and dumb mistakes.
special teams may still be a little "iffy" , a new holder could be a problem but our substitute punter seems to be working out okay.
i am looking forward to seeing the Good Guys play with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and purpose.
see how much the week off helped my blogging ?? maybe it did the same for our beleaguered guys of the gridiron.
later Poke

the bye week

no blog this week.
besides i was taught if you cant say something nice then dont say anything.
later Poke

too much talk

okay so its hard for a blogger to admit.
there is too much Cowboys talk going on.
that wont keep me from expounding even more on the Boys but
i have to at least point it out.
the local radio idiots have been having a field day.
espn has not missed a chance to build up our guys, then
spend an equal or greater amount of time tearing them down.
remember this was a team that was going to the Super Bowl
not that long ago.
but heres the deal...this isnt fantasy football, where stats
count as scores, where you can just add or subtract players
depending on how you feel.
this isnt madden 09, where anything you can dream up actually works
on the gridiron.
nope its football. where players have to show up ready to play.
where star players get hurt and sit out weeks at a time.
where role players either step up or you have glaring holes where once
you had stability.
the message boards are full of suggestions, comments, plans and bold
declarations that the posters know how to fix all the Good Guys woes.
everybody thinks they are a coach.
at the Tabernacle last week the geniuses behind me werent fans. they were critics.
every move, play, bad throw or coaching decision was met with derision.
they were almost gleeful in their putting down of men who have spent their lives
doing....what these numbskulls behind me wish they were doing.
making a living playing or coaching football.
i understand the enjoyment of "talking football". all the what ifs and whys.
we have moved way beyond that point.
all these commissioners of fantasy land football actually believe they know better
than guys who spend hours, days weeks, months...their whole lives studying football.
gimme a break.
theres a reason the real coaches and players are down there and you and me are
sitting up there in section 34.
its hard to admit but go ahead. it will make you feel better. they are better than
we were !! see....i bet you already feel better.
now look..i like certain players more than other ones BUT...that doesnt mean i am
a better football player than say... bobby carpenter. sure he has been
a disappointment but be honest with yourself, look around the stadium, do you really
think you or the guy sitting next to you would give us a better chance to stop
Warrick Dunn on 3rd and 7 ??
what i would like to see is more fans, less coaches.
could be its just me or maybe a lot of you are just nuts.
oh yeah....im still thinking the Boys go to NY and kick some Giants butts.
i dont know how they are gonna do it, in fantasy land im sure it looks impossible.
but hey thats my team and i count on them doing the impossible.
later Poke

real problems....no real answers

4 and stinking 3.
i never would have thought thats where the Boys would be at this point.
i thought our O-line was better than that.
thought our defense was WAY better than that.
this team does have real problems.
special teams is another real problem.
then throw in the perception that the team has no identity or mental toughness.
our record indicates those are all valid, REAL problems.
but i havent seen any real solutions.
i dont think firing Wade is the answer. do you really want to throw it all out the window midseason ? i dont.
you cant really fire players and expect to just go get better ones.
so what can we do ?
you just have to hope that the re-evaluation Wade says they are doing turns up something that can have positive effects.
you have to hope the players look inside themselves and decide THEY ARE going to play better.
you might release a player if you think " a message " needs sending.
you might fire a special teams coach to open some eyes on the coaching staff.
you might demote a player or two to let these guys know they have to earn their spots.
you might stiffen some penalties for players who keep making the same mistakes over
and over again.
you might even throw a kicking, screaming, spit flying tirade.
but you dont lay down and quit. not now. not ever.
you dont blow the whole thing up.
not at this point in the season. NOT YET.
so instead of going off half cocked, put some thought into what you CAN DO...then
DO IT !!!
later Poke

dealing with grief

what can i say ?? i am so disappointed.
i knew the Boys had a huge task today.
all the injuries, suspensions, and general unease about the
desire and motivation of our team made todays game very lose-able.
i can deal with losing.
i cant deal with losing all the ways we lost today.
losing games is one thing but losing hope of being a good team hurts too much.
so i will continue to believe that the Boys can be good.
i will continue to believe that the offense will remember how to block, throw, catch
and score points.
i will continue to believe that the defense will figure out how to stop the run,
get some pressure and defend long passes.
i will continue to believe that the special teams can be special in a positive sense
because we have seen they can be special in a negative one.
i will continue to believe that our coaches will learn how to motivate and teach these guys how to play the game with desire and discipline.
we are only 7 games into a 16 game season, still time to get it right.
i am way beyond the throwing things stage of fanhood i have inhabited.
some of you may not be so i offer some wise advice on my way outta here.

There is no right or wrong way to grieve. All your feelings are normal. It is helpful, however, to know that human grief is a process that often follows a healing pattern.

Shock is the first stage. It is accompanied by disbelief and numbness and a mistaken thought that the Boys were better than they really are.

Denial follows quickly, crying "I don't believe it," or "It can't be."

Bargaining is your promise that "I'll be so very good that maybe I can wake up and find that it isn't so. I'll do all the right things if only....", wearing your jersey every day of the week isnt gonna make the team win these kind of games...i have proven that to myself.

Guilt is painful and hard to deal with. This is when one says over and over, "If only I had..." or "If only I had not..." This is a normal feeling and ultimately it may be solved by stating, "I'm a human being and I gave the best and worst of me to the Cowboys and what they do with that is their responsibility.

Anger is another big factor which seems to be necessary in order to face the reality of life and then to get beyond it. We must all heal in our own ways. Anger is a natural stage through which we must pass. I will
add that throwing things or kicking them doesnt really help in the long run.

Depression is a stage of grief that comes and goes. Knowing this, be prepared to give yourself time to heal. Resignation is a late stage. It comes when finally you accept the truth.

Acceptance and hope! Understand that the Good Guys wont be 16-0 but your life can go on to find meaning and purpose.

i do want to say that i got this info from dealing with much more serious matters than a football game and i dont want anyone to think i am making fun of those matters. i am however making fun a little of how serious we take our football, but just a little cuz i really am disappointed and madder than i should be.

later Poke

addition by subtraction

so i dont have any inside info.
BUT....the lack of players screaming how much they are
gonna miss Adam Jones leads me to think that maybe he
wasnt that beloved by most of his teammates and that
just maybe the Boys will be better of without him.
do not take this wrong.
i was glad JJ signed him. i had hoped he would light it up.
he hasnt yet but i felt like he would get better.
he still might. but for at least 4 weeks it dont matter.
my feeling is that the Good Guys will rise to the occasion.
the rookies will grow up in a hurry.
now the loss of Romo is a whole nother story.
no way do i think losing him helps us.
having said that i am actually glad we have the old guy Brad Johnson.
his experience is what we need now.
sure it would be great to have a second string QB that could start for another team.
not many teams are that lucky.
so lets just see what happens this week.
heck we went from having no roy williams playing to having 2 !!
so before you write them off, give it a chance.
later Poke

dontcha just love football ??????

yep the Cards beat the Cowboys and the Cowboys beat the Cowboys.
now its time for the messageboard coaches to beat the Cowboys.
ESPN will certainly be Beating the Cowboys all week.
i will just be waiting til next week to see how we do against the Rams.
this is the NFL, they play every week. not a lotta time to wail and moan
and beat up on your team cuz hey you gotta get ready to go again.
i have been watching football a long time ( and so have most of you cuz
my demographic study commission tells me i dont draw the young crowd...guess
that comment i made in Blog # 267 about only liking 2 rap songs scared the younguns
away ).
anyway its been a while since i saw a game like that. KO returns, fumbles (even if they were ruled "tucks", sacks, big plays, little plays, good plays, bad plays,
no plays ( think time-out on blocked field goal) and "walk off, blocked punts".
you baseball fans will recognize that language. who has have ever heard of a "walk off blocked punt "?
but back to the point. I know it stinks that the Good Guys lost, its killing me.
and it was painful to watch as the greatness that was supposed to be the Cowboy machine got peeled away and exposed.
but you gotta admit its better than Reality TV. drama, suspense, intrigue, COMEDY !!
that game had it all !! heck maybe even conspiracy (if you are a Cards fan I know
you had to be thinking the refs had it in for your team).
so just chill out, The Boys of the Blue Star can still redeem themselves.
Look on the Bright Side.
for 3 1/2 hours we didnt have to think about politics, stock markets or bailouts.
later Poke

newsflash: romo out with broken finger for 4 weeks, it happens to teams every year,
all we can do now is count on Brad Johnson to step in and step up. that too is part
of football. who needs reality tv ??