Ahmad Bradshaw had just made a major contribution to his New York Giants’ upset victory over the mighty New England Patriots. He and his teammates had just been crowned world champions for the second time in four years.

So, what did the folks at the NFL Network want him to talk about? The Dallas Cowboys!

The world over, the city of New York is seen as the great American city. Football is the great American sport. The NFL is the great American sports league. The New York Giants are one of the storied franchises of the NFL.

But the New York Giants still cannot escape the shadow of America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys. Despite the Giants having won two Super Bowls in four years, despite the Cowboys having been a nonfactor in the Super Bowl hunt for 15 years, Bradshaw was asked what he thought about the Cowboys chances of winning it all.

“I don’t see it happening,” Bradshaw told the NFL Network when asked if the Cowboys will ever win a Super Bowl with Romo at the helm. “I don’t think they believe it, and they’re America’s Team. If America don’t believe it . . .”

Bradshaw was asked to clear his comment, about whether he was referring to the team itself or the fans.

“It all comes together,” Bradshaw said. “If the fans don’t believe it, the team doesn’t. They’re kinda doubtful with Romo.”

How frustrating must that be for the Giants? They have owned the Dallas Cowboys, winning six of the past eight meetings with them. They are 3–0 in Cowboys Stadium. Giants quarterback Eli Manning has more Super Bowl rings than big brother Peyton.

But the talking heads at the NFL Network don’t want to talk about those things. They just want to know whether Tony Romo is the man to get the job done in Dallas.

As frustrating as the America’s Team thing is for the Cowboys’ NFC East bunkmates (Note Bradshaw was not asked about the Eagles or Redskins), it should be equally embarrassing to the Cowboys themselves. I am sure the boys with the stars on their helmets would be just as happy if that bullseye was taken off their chests.

No matter how badly the Cowboys may want folks to just forget about that whole America’s Team thing, no matter how badly the Giants may want to be the team everybody either loves or loves to hate, neither franchise can escape the fact that the mediocre Cowboys are still America’s Team, or so says Gary West of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

The Thanksgiving Day victory over the Dolphins was the most-watched game of the regular season; in fact, with 31 million viewers, it was the most-watched program. Three of the 10 most popular programs were indeed Cowboys’ games. With 27.6 million viewers according to Nielsen, the finale against the Giants was the most-watched regular-season primetime game in 15 years and the most-watched primetime game ever on NBC. And with 17.1 million viewers, the Cowboys’ Monday night game against the Redskins was the most-watched program on cable television.

As for embracing bold innovation, these Cowboys could be the most American of America’s Teams. They play, after all, in the largest air-conditioned space in the world, beneath the largest television in the world, in a $1.2 billion monument to boldness.

And so don’t accept impostors or substitutes. Don’t consign the nickname to the trash, or put it in the freezer or hide it in a drawer beneath the old socks. The Cowboys, Staubach said, are still America’s Team. And America’s quarterback is right. Yes, amid dubious poll results and pullulating flapdoodle and perennial piffle, America’s Team still stands out.

Bradshaw himself referred to the Cowboys as America’s Team, as if there were no arguing the matter, as if winning a Super Bowl, or  a couple of Super Bowls, or every Super Bowl from now one would not be enough to change it.

He may be right about that.

But, more importantly, he may also be right about Romo.

What do you think?

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.

And I am still having a hard time believing what happened in this tale of two cities, two teams, and two football fates.

With a 12-point lead and just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Dallas Cowboys managed to squander what would have been a formidable division lead and lose a gut-wrenching, heart-rending, back-breaking game to the New York Football Giants.

Final score: 37–34.

As soon as the punch-drunk, dumbfounded Cowboys fan sobers up, he will want to know whose fault this is. To whom do we assign blame for this epic meltdown?

The usual suspects will be scrutinized first.

Coach Jason Garrett, fresh off the debacle in the Arizona desert and the worst day of his brief head coaching career, will get his share of crotch-kicks. There will be the usual complaints of how he should have run here or thrown there or done something else that might have saved the game.

Tony Romo will be targeted. By football idiots, mostly.

Romo was 21 for 31 with 321 yards passing. He threw four touchdowns and no interceptions. He did take a sack in his own end zone to start the game. He also missed a crucial downfield pass to Miles Austin that would have sealed the win.

Let us not forget, however, that, after the Giants had taken the lead and left but 46 ticks on the clock, Romo drove his Cowboys from their own 20 yard line to the Giants’ 30 and set up rookie kicker Dan Bailey for a game-winning field goal.

I guess Romo could have played interior line on the kick team and blocked Pierre-Paul to keep him from blocking the FG attempt. Other than that, I am not sure what more you could have asked of him on that last drive.

If you are blaming Romo for this loss, you either did not watch the game or have no clue about the game of football. Romo was solid with flashes of brilliance. His offense racked up 444 net yards and hung 34 points on the world’s biggest scoreboard.

Um, hello? That ought to be enough offense to win a home game in the National Football League. If you are too silly to understand that, then please refrain from watching football and stay away from sharp objects and Sudoku puzzles. We don’t want you hurting yourself.

So, whom do we blame?

How about Rob Ryan and the vaunted Ryan family tradition of blitzing every down, whether it is working or not? How about the uber-blitzing, coverage-blowing, 510 yards-and-37 points-yielding, Swiss cheese defense?

How about mixing in a defensive stop every now and then, especially when the game is on the line and your offense has presented you with a 12-point lead and just 5:30 to kill?

How about not lining Gerald Sensabaugh up 35 yards from the line of scrimmage so that he cannot even lend assistance on a 19-yard Eli Manning pass that looked more like a punt? May as well have sent your safety for a couple dozen Krispy Kremes. He was closer to the Krispy Kreme on Cooper Street than he was the line of scrimmage.

How about maybe not holding a receiver that was running into double coverage anyway, Frank Walker?

How about not sending DeMarcus Ware onto the field with his shoulder screaming and his arm hanging limply at his side, especially when Victor Butler is playing well in his stead? The result of putting the ailing superstar back into the game: two crucial neutral zone infractions.

This was a massive loss, a meaningful loss, with major implications.

It was another reminder that this Dallas Cowboys’ team is not ready to be called elite. They could not defend their home stadium. They could not defend their goal line. So, it is no surprise they were unable to defend their slim division lead.

They lost a game they could have won and there is plenty of blame to go around.

Blame it on Rob Ryan. Blame it on the defensive backfield for getting toasted at the end of the game. Blame it on the defensive front’s inability to put much pressure on Manning. Blame it on Jerry Jones and that deal he made with God (or was it the Devil?) back in the ’90s.

Heck, blame it on a gutsy performance by the Giants or the “brilliance” of Eli Manning’s quarterback play. But, don’t blame me. Don’t blame yourself.

And just once, please, don’t lay all the blame on Tony Romo.

All Smiles

In the past five games, Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo has thrown nine touchdowns and only one interception. His quarterback rating during that span is an eye-popping 109.7.

In related news, the Cowboys are sporting a handsome 4–1 record during the same five-game stretch.

In a league that often gives too much credit to the quarterback for his team’s victories and too much blame for losses, it is still safe to say, “As goes Tony Romo, so go the Dallas Cowboys.”

A couple of games ago, after posting a near-perfect 148.4 rating by completing 23 of 26 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns, Romo boiled his recent resurgence down to one pretty simple factor: Good health.

According to Todd Archer of ESPN.com, Romo repeated that sentiment last week as he prepared for Sunday’s game with the Washington Redskins:

“I don’t have a broken rib now, so that’s a positive,” Romo said Thursday, three days before the Dallas Cowboys‘ rematch with the Redskins. “It just feels good. I don’t know. You get used to playing hurt, but it’s just a little different kind of thing.”

Some in the league, in the media and in the stands have questioned just how much Romo’s injury was affecting his play. Suggestions were offered that maybe he was playing up the whole fighting through the pain thing. Maybe it was just a convenient excuse.

Apparently, these yardbirds think being kicked in the ribs by a mule is no big deal.

I, on the other hand, can identify with Tony. Just recently, I had a terrible head cold that I could not shake. Despite going for a steroid shot and an antibiotic, the nasty malady worked its way into my chest and there it stayed for a solid week.

I can tell you, my enthusiasm for work waned. I found it difficult to concentrate. My production slipped. This is all true and I must also confess that I have the kind of job that almost never involves angry, amped-up, 300-pound men using every means at their disposal to grind me into so much powder.

So, here’s to Tony Romo’s health and the continued success of the Dallas Cowboys that, like it or not, have their very fortunes tied to just how well Tony Romo feels.

BECAUSE IT WAS SUNDAY: The Legend of Jack Youngblood

Authorized Biography of Hall of Fame Defensive End Includes
New Interviews, Stories, Images from Inspirational Life and Legendary Career

–Foreword by NFL Network Host Rich Eisen –

NEW YORK, September 26, 2011 – No player defined toughness more than Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end, Jack Youngblood. Because It Was Sunday: The Legend of Jack Youngblood(Bravda Velo)is the new authorized biography of the “John Wayne of football,” which will be released on October 1, the day of the Florida-Alabama game. Fans can order from www.youngbloodbook.com. The foreword is written by NFL Network anchor, Rich Eisen.

Inside the book are new interviews with Youngblood, Hall of Fame teammates and opponents, and family, all of whom share stories and insight to a storybook rise to fame from high school to the Florida Gators to the Los Angeles Rams, where he played in 201 consecutive games during a 14-year career as one of the NFL’s most dominant pass rushers.  The man John Madden called the “epitome of a football player” is one of the most respected and courageous players in history, once having played in two playoff games, a Super Bowl and a Pro Bowl with a broken leg. On the 40th anniversary of his rookie season with the Rams and tenth year since becoming the first Florida Gator inducted into the Hall of Fame, readers will learn of the innate reasoning behind Youngblood’s unequaled drive to compete – even in the face of agonizing pain and a life-threatening medical condition – because it was Sunday.

Tested by tragedy and overwhelming odds throughout his career, Youngblood built himself up from a 190-pound high school linebacker who led his team to a state championship and earned an improbable scholarship to the University of Florida, where he transformed into the greatest defensive end the Gators have ever seen, before going to the Los Angeles Rams in 1971 as a first-round pick, filled the shoes of the legendary Deacon Jones and evolved into the most ferocious pass rusher of the 1970s. Because It Was Sunday also treats readers to stories of the people that influenced him and shaped his Hall of Fame career.

Some of the stories revealed in Because It Was Sunday include:

• Suffering the death of his father on his tenth birthday and lessons learned from his grandfather, one of the South’s most infamous sheriffs
• How neighboring Florida State declined to sign him  and the revelation that Bill Parcells told recruiters Youngblood didn’t have a football future
• His calamitous first game as a senior, and being switched to defense exclusively
• Early days as a Gator and how he evolved into an All-American, and eventual College Football Hall of Famer, including tales of the 1969 Gator Bowl victory and his famous exploits in a 1970 game against Georgia
• Astonishing recovery from a knee injury as a senior, which negated career-ending surgery, and inspired him to not miss another game in 15 years
• Draft Day 1971 when he famously asked, “who is coach of the Rams?’
• Senior Bowl performance and Buddy Ryan’s advice that sealed his first-round standing, as well as the College All-Star Game against the champion Baltimore Colts
• First game with the Rams and his days with mentors, Merlin Olsen and Deacon Jones
• Enduring difficult first two seasons in Los Angeles, when he nearly quit
• Chuck Knox years when he developed into an All-Pro, and the note left behind from a former coach that nearly cost him his Rams career
• New revelations about his broken leg suffered against the Cowboys in the 1979 playoffs – and, for the first time, we find out he went back into the game a couple of series later
• Intimate memories of the 1980 Super Bowl, in which the Rams were underdogs to the Steelers and came within six minutes of winning, and candid thoughts on why he played  with a cracked fibula – and what he regrets
• Searing moments in which a .357 and, years later, a blood clot, nearly cost him his life
• Inside-the-huddle of ferocious battles against Roger Staubach, Fran Tarkenton, Dan Dierdorf, Rayfield Wright, Ron Yary, among other legends of the game
• Observations of players Youngblood emulated including Olsen, Jones, Gino Marchetti, Doug Atkins, Willie Davis, Claude Humphrey, among others
• The physical and emotional stress of switching from the 4-3 to the 3-4 defense in 1983, and how he reacted to it – by delivering some of his finest performances
• His emotional retirement, how he came to the decision, and how others reacted
• Life after football; adoption of his wife’s ten-year-old son – a decision that brought his life full circle – and his efforts today to help former players cope with brain trauma

 
As John Madden famously said, “If a Martian landed in my backyard, knocked on my door and asked me ‘What’s a football player?’ I’d go get Jack Youngblood.” In the Because It Was Sunday, Hall of Famers and other legendary players back up that belief:

• “I would have to give Youngblood the vote as the best defensive player I ever competed against.” – Roger Staubach
• “He played a whole game with a broken leg. I mean, think about that. How much of a badass was Jack Youngblood? I’ll tell you: He was a serious badass.” – Jared Allen
• “Youngblood is by far the best defensive end I’ve ever faced and may be the best all-around end in football.” – Dan Dierdorf
• “Jack Youngblood, I’d want him on my team every day of the week, anytime. The man was a 100% guy and was wonderful with his teammates.” – Joe Namath
• “I’ve got to say that Youngblood was nice enough to pick me up every time he knocked my ass off.” – Archie Manning
• “I’d have to say Jack Youngblood was the toughest I ever faced” – Rayfield Wright

Author D.W. Cooper is also writer and editor for Bravda Velo Publishing and Rylin Media, including first-to-market championship books San FranTastic!, Big D Over Big 3!, Dat’s Incredible, and Duke Dominates. He was features writer for POST magazine and contributor to NFL Gameday. Over the last 20 years, Cooper has told the incredible life stories of some of sports’ biggest names and covered unforgettable moments from Super Bowls, NBA Finals, NCAA Championships, and the Olympic Games. He is an adjunct professor at New York University.

MEDIA CONTACT:
MVP Public Relations
(917) 716-8566 david@mvppr.com

Filling the Void

It is hard for an old-timer (and hard to believe a fan of the early ’90s Cowboys actually qualifies as such, but I guess so) to get his mind around celebrating the presence of a member of Buddy Ryan’s family on the Dallas Cowboys’ coaching staff.

Hard. But not impossible.

Thanks to the influence of Rob Ryan, Jerry Jones and company set out to nab Abram Elam in the 2011 NFL free agency gold rush. Abram was one of four top-level safeties on the 2011 NFL free agent market. The other three were Michael Huff, Eric Weddle and Dawan Landry.

Huff and Weddle are more athletic, free safety types. It had been my hope that Jones would make a run at bringing Huff, the University of Texas product, “home” to Dallas. If not Huff, I wanted Weddle.

If not Huff or Weddle, somebody…anybody!

Turns out Jones and Ryan got their man, the one they wanted, the one whose skills and football savvy Rob Ryan knows better than anyone, the one that has already proven he can achieve— excel even— in the Ryan Helter Skelter, Kamikaze defensive scheme.

Last season, Elam recorded 79 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, 10 passes defensed and two forced fumbles. Solid numbers. Not splashy or sexy. But solid.

More importantly, Elam brings experience and familiarity with the Ryan philosophy of defense. He is touted as an intelligent player that should be able to help his new teammates with the learning curve.

Together, Elam and Gerald Sensabaugh should comprise a solid last line of defense. Not spectacular. Just solid. If you have watched many Cowboys games over the past few seasons, you know that, where the safety position is concerned, solid is good. Solid is an upgrade.

So, it says here that Jerry Jones did the Cowboys fans a solid by signing Abram Elam. Mingle a solid signing at a position of dire need with an effective scheme, and the Cowboys defense could go from good to great in 2012.

Old Cowboys fans have to love that, even if the credit will go directly to the progeny of the arrogant little irritant, Buddy Ryan. Besides, in the world of NFL football, the only thing needed to change one’s loyalty is a change of laundry.

Rob Ryan and Abram Elam together again, this time in silver and blue laundry, ought to bring a little more lustre to that star in 2012.

Jerry celebrating

We are given two reasons Cowboys fans should love having Jerry Jones for their team’s owner: His commitment to winning at any cost and his slick, wheeler-dealer, deal-making skills.

Well, that whole commitment to winning at any cost thing has hardly been provable since Jerry took on the mortgage for the new stadium. He has sometimes rivaled Ebenezer Scrooge for his penny-pinching, passing on free agents in positions of need.

Besides, just how much winning have the Cowboys done since the best move Jerry Jones ever made was run out of town after winning consecutive Super Bowls? Jerry won the pissing contest with Jimmy Johnson by pretty much whizzing all over Cowboys fans. That began a long and storied run of the arrogant Napoleonic dictator trying to prove his manhood and his ludicrous statement that “any of five hundred coaches could have won the Super Bowl” with that talent. Cowboys suffered through regimes headed by the Dave Campos and Wade Phillipses of the world.

Brilliant!

So, let’s chill on that “win at any cost” compliment. It ain’t so. He won’t win at the cost of his own ridiculous ego and he isn’t near the free-spender you think, either.

Now, to the second point: The one about his deal-making skills.

Someone please explain to me how someone with the girth of Philadelphia Eagles’ coach Andy Reid managed to sneak into the bargaining room undetected and snag Nnamdi Asomugha right from under Jerry’s smug nose?

Concerning the Eagles’ Apache-like scalping of the Cowboys and Jets– the two teams supposed to be frontrunners for Nnamdi’s services– Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports wrote, “The move to snag Asomugha from underneath the likes of the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys was cold-blooded. Eagles team president Joe Banner might intimidate Suge Knight right now (and anybody who has ever seen Banner knows what a long shot that is). The Eagles didn’t just send a shot across the bow at the rest of the NFL, they sent 31 blasts at each opponent.”

The insufferable rah-rah cheerleaders masquerading as a news outlet at Philly.com crowed, “The moves back up the team’s promise to be aggressive in free agency. They are also a clear sign of coach Andy Reid’s commitment to win big and win now as he enters his 13th season in Philadelphia.”

I know. I know. This is the time to be optimistic and upbeat. After all, the strike is ended. Football is back. And we are fans of the Dallas Cowboys, dammit!

I’m trying. I just can’t shake this feeling that Jerry Jones is really the Devil incarnate. And I, for one, am a little weary of giving the Devil his due.

Aaron Rodgers was named MVP of Super Bowl XLV and all he got for winning the award was the key to a shiny, red Camaro convertible.

That is chicken feed compared to the key Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway presented to Michael Vick, the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year.

Mike's Mug Shot

The key was presented to Vick by Caraway, reportedly at a club. Caraway, however,said he was focused on “the children.” Apparently, because Mike Vick talked to some kids about staying out of trouble, Caraway felt that was an act worthy of handing out a ceremonial key to the city of Dallas.

In 2007, Michael Vick was convicted of a felony for his involvement in a dogfighting ring. He served 19 months in federal prison.

On ESPN Dallas, Caraway defended himself by saying, ”The message and the kids are far greater than all this response about, ‘Why give him the key to the city?’ He is telling kids and exchanging with them the rights and wrongs of the things that he did and encouraging kids to further their education and to not deal with the drugs. To obey their parents and pick the people they hang around.

“That’s a message I would challenge anybody to say that not one kid across America shouldn’t hear from people in notoriety such as Michael Vick.”

The flap created over Caraway’s decision to honor Vick in such a way resulted in a quick response from Mayor Tom Leppert, as city hall went into damage control.

The Dallas Morning News reported on Leppert’s response:

The gesture, and the outcry that ensued, led to a quick call from Mayor Tom Leppert that the city review how council members hand out ceremonial gifts, with the clear suggestion that guidelines become more restrictive.

“We don’t condone it and clearly didn’t approve it,” Leppert said of the Vick award. “It’s unfortunate, and I would rather have not seen the situation.”

The key that Caraway gave Vick — a gold-hued, six-inch key bearing the seal of Dallas — is less than official, according to explanations from city officials.

Richard Hunter, of 1190 AM, a Dallas radio station, was covering the Michael Vick event in an official capacity. Hunter claims that he and his wife adopted one of the dogs “rescued from Vick’s dogfighting house of horrors.” He recorded the ceremony, which you can see by clicking here.

Hunter also tried to talk to Vick about the dog he had rescued, ostensibly to let Vick know how the dog was doing. He was, however, rebuffed by a bodyguard.

Hunter said, “Two questions, Mike?”

A bodyguard responded, in a rather hostile manner, “Nothing, man. He’s got nothing he wants to tell you. I am going to tell you one more time to get the (expletive) out of my face.”

Hunter says that, while one bodyguard cussed him, another physically restrained him.

Hunter called out, “You said you are worried about the dog’s, Mike. Now is your chance to talk.”

The bodyguard restraining Hunter said, “We don’t care about the dog.”

Dwaine Caraway seems to be a stand-up guy. He went on the Dunham and Miller, a very popular morning show on KTCK 1310, the Ticket, in Dallas. Caraway did not really defend himself, but explained his thought process behind his actions. Of course, as Gordon Keith aptly pointed out, Caraway “wrapped himself in the force field of ‘the children.’”

That is always a good strategy, if you can make it work. Whenever you do something really stupid, just say you were doing it for the children.

Giving the key to the city of Dallas— whether it is the real, bona fide symbol of the city’s gratitude, or some not-quite-official replica of it— ought to be more carefully considered.

Caraway admitted as much, when he said to Dunham and Miller, “I don’t think I will be giving any more keys away any time soon.”

I would recommend, in the future, Caraway consider the recipient’s resumé first. If it reads “Felon” or “Philadelphia Eagle” anywhere on it, put the key back in your pocket.

Choice run

I am sure NBC’s stellar broadcast crew hoped for a better game to close out Chris Collinsworth’s inaugural season in the catbird seat. They would have loved a nail-biter, a classic, one for the ages.

They didn’t get a nail-biter or a classic. They did get one for the ages. They got the game that finally put an end to so many sorry moments and haunting memories for the Dallas Cowboys, their coach, their quarterback, their owner, and their fans. They got the game that made the D in Dallas big again.

So, welcome to Big D, where the D stands for…

Determination

All year, there was a different look and feel about this team. Stung by his post-game comments a year ago, after his team suffered one of the most humiliating losses in team history— a 44-6 rout at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles— when he said, “If this is the worst thing that ever happens to me, I have had a pretty good life,” Tony Romo changed his tune.

Apparently, Romo went to the Troy Aikman school of athlete-speak. Remember how vanilla and bland Aikman’s responses to media questions were when he was a player? It was one cliche after another. It was enough to make you wonder at Fox giving him a color analyst job, once he retired. Then, we learned, after his playing days were done and he no longer shouldered the burden of the highest profile position in professional football, Aikman actually does have a personality…and opinions…and poignant observations.

Romo kept his focus on the team, its improvement, and its march toward excellence. If he used the word “improve” once this year, he used it seventy-five billion times. No matter what the question, his answer was, “We just need to keep improving, keep getting better, and we will be alright.”

“Hey, Tony, what is your favorite color?”

“We just have to execute. Continue to improve.”

“Hey, Tony, how is the love life since you dumped Jessica Simpson?”

“We just have to execute. Continue to improve.”

“Hey Tony, what did you get for Christmas?”

“We just have to execute. Continue to improve.”

That single-minded purpose was echoed throughout the locker room, and on both sides of the ball. This team had something to prove, and they were determined to prove it.

They were also determined to stick together. None of the “me-ness” that permeated the Terrell Owens infected locker room of a year ago. No sniping. No whining about playing time or ball distribution or play-calling. No pointing fingers. Even the NFL’s emerging star at the wide receiver position, Miles Austin, resisted the selfishness so commonly associated with his position and kept it all about the team.

Desperation

When the Cowboys reached that 8-5 mark, after losing consecutively to the San Diego Chargers and New York Giants, faced with the ominous task of going to New Orleans to play an undefeated Saints’ team, they could have folded. Many in the Dallas media predicted they would not win another game. They would fall to 8-8 and miss the playoffs. Wade Phillips would be fired, and rightfully so. Romo would be fitted with the choke collar. Jerry Jones would be brutalized in the media. And Cowher or Shanahan or Gruden or somebody would mount the white steed and ride in to save the day.

That could have happened. But it didn’t. It didn’t because this team became urgent, desperate even. They were not ready to be counted down, let alone out. They set their jaws, defied the odds, baffled the pundits, and man-handled the Saints. Then they shut out the Redskins. Then they zip-locked the Eagles.

Then they donned the celebratory NFC East Champions ball caps on the sideline, and some said, “Uh oh. They are celebrating too soon. They think this is Mission Accomplished. They are setting themselves up for disaster.”

Nope! That desperation hit the field again on Saturday night. Like the Bubonic Plague it spread its fever through the team and into the stands. The team played like their hair was on fire. The fans screamed, yelled, taunted, cheered, jeered, and foamed at the mouth. They had the fever, but it was only lethal to the Eagles, who remained cold and lifeless in the face of…

Domination

If it weren’t for the Cowboys, the Eagles would have been at home this week, resting and game-planning for their first postseason contest next week. If it weren’t for the Cowboys, the Eagles would be the second seed in the NFC. If it weren’t for the Cowboys, the Eagles would be flying high right now, rather than soul-searching and arguing over whether McNabb should be finished in Philly.

The Eagles were a high-flying, scoring machine in 2009. They were ranked fifth in the league, and would have ranked much higher, if it wasn’t for the nasty little detail of having to play their division nemesis the Dallas Cowboys twice. Against the Cowboys, the Eagles scored a grand total of 30 points in three games. That is ten points per game, or 2.5 points per quarter. They were shut out once. They were dominated thrice.

In the Cowboys 34-14 whipping of the Eagles, they dominated McNabb, holding him to a passer rating of 68.5, sacking him four times, and confusing him all night long. They dominated the Eagles’ running game, holding it to 56 yards on 13 carries. They dominated the prolific Tweeter and game-breaker DeSean Jackson, shutting him down in the first half and holding him to a grand total of 14 yards on three catches, including one meaningless, too-little-too-late  touchdown. They dominated Philly’s blitz-happy defense, gashing it for 198 yards on the ground, another 244 through the air, and four touchdowns.

The Cowboys also dominated the Eagles in one other area: coaching. I know it seems unlikely, but three out of three times, Wade Phillips and his staff outmaneuvered, out-flanked, and flat out-coached the venerable Andy Reid and his staff of geniuses.

Yep. The “D” is big in Dallas again. For years, it stood for “doubt,” “disappointment,” “delusion,” and “damn.” Now it stands for “defense,” “delight,” and (Dare I say it?)…DESTINY.

Big is the way the “D” is meant to be.

Welcome home, Big D.

Here's your sign!

“What is crude, crass, classless, Alex.”

(Answer to the Jeopardy question: “What are the three best words to describe a typical Philadelphia Eagles fan?”)

So, Pulitzer candidate and editor of PhiladelphiaEagles.com Dave Spadaro hocked a loogie on the hallowed midfield Star at Cowboys Stadium before last Sunday afternoon’s game, recorded it on his web cam, and posted it to the Eagles’ website, thus forever endearing himself to the City of Brotherly Lust-For-Just-One-Super Bowl-Win-Please.

This from a representative of the organization whose classless coach Buddy Ryan once ordered to fake taking a knee in a game they had well in hand, and then fire a touchdown pass, adding insult to injury. This from the team whose fans gathered in mind-numbing temperatures in that toilet known as Veteran’s stadium to spit on opposing teams and pelt their players and coaches with everything from snowballs to batteries.

Dallas media outlets are trying to get as much mileage as possible out of what some of them have dubbed “SpitGate.” I have perused some of their articles to bring you the best of reader feedback on the subject.

From nbcdfw.com: “His Mom probably spit at him as a child for being a Philly’s fan!”

From DallasNews.com: “If your parents wouldn’t be proud, don’t do it. Of course in Philadelphia, that could be the wrong qualifier.”

From WFAA.com: “You stay classy, Philadelphia.”

Another from WFAA.com: “As grandparent to many I don’t see why is this a big deal. He made the mess, he needs to clean it up, the whole field, by himself, after the next game. I’ll even donate the toothbrush. Stupid kids with their videos and cellcamophone things.”

Apparently embarrassed by Spadaro’s actions, the Eagles’ brass forced him to offer an apology that at least had the appearance of sincerity. Here is what he came up with:

“As you may have seen, I went too far with my Spudcam video prior to Sunday’s game against the Cowboys. Acting alone, and without permission from the Eagles organization, I walked out to the middle of the field at Cowboys Stadium and spit on the Cowboys star, and for that I deeply apologize to the outstanding Cowboys organization and the fine people there, from Jerry Jones to the rest of the team.

It was not my intention to insult the Cowboys. It was my intention to enjoy the spirit of a great sports rivalry, and I clearly went over the line and acted unprofessionally. The Cowboys have always been gracious hosts and I appreciate the relationship I have with the friends I have there.”

(Sniff. Can you hand me that Kleenex, please? I have something in my eye.)

Spadaro’s apology, as elegantly constructed as it was, no doubt only came as the result of pressure put on him to do it. Now, the debate rages over whether he should be fired. I was actually surprised to read comments on Philly.com calling for his firing. It seems he isn’t the most popular figure with some of Philly’s more erudite fans. (I am kidding about the erudite Philly fan thing: I know that is an oxymoron.)

I don’t know what else the guy may have done to warrant being fired or reprimanded or hanged in effigy, but let me take the unexpected position that this whole flap is just silliness. Really. Come on. At the very worst, the spitting incident was frat-boyish and juvenile.

Sure, it is another sign of the deterioration of our society in general and of sportsmanship in particular. Yes, it is a sad commentary on what we have become. OK, it may be another indicator that the era of the gentleman combatant is forever gone, but it is not a sign of the Apocalypse. (Obama’s election is, of course, but not this.)

I was going to write that the city of Philadelphia had deteriorated beyond recognition from the days of the Continental Congress and the city’s greatest-ever citizen, Benjamin Franklin. But when you study American history, you understand that even ole Ben Franklin was considered a bit boorish and crass by many of his contemporaries.

He was also utter genius, pure greatness, and the embodiment of the great American spirit.

So, let’s not write off Franklin’s city or its inhabitants, even if they don’t have any better sense than to root for the Eagles. God forgives all kinds of sins…and besides, they have given us Philly Cheese Steak, which, if I think about hard enough, might cause me to drool on the Star myself.

You say classy, Philadelphia.

Ha! You missed!

Cowboys 7, Redskins 6.

One could almost stop there and declare, “Enough said.” But it isn’t enough to repeat the shocking score from the Redskins’ first ever visit to the new Jerry World (aka, Cowboys’ Stadium).

No, we need to dig a little deeper if any lessons are to be learned from a 6-3 Cowboys team barely surviving against a 3-6 Washington squad. So, let us dig.

Lesson One is for Jason Garrett.

Hey, Red! Neither the media, nor the fans, nor a delusional owner are really qualified to hammer out a game plan. We know you took so much flak from all quarters after the Green Bay bit-spitting, that you decided you would show everyone and just run, run, run the ball.

Come on, man. Be a man. Plan your work and work your plan. Tell Jerry that he hired you to do a job and he can either allow you to do it or quit beating around the bush and do what he always dreamed of doing anyway: Namely, put on the headset and call the plays himself.

Granted, the plan Jason Garrett rolled out looked like it might work until the Marion Barber fumble deep in Redskins’ territory stalled the maiden drive. Still, Garrett ran and ran and ran some more. He ran so much that the passing game never really got untracked until desperation set in late in the fourth quarter, when it became eminently obvious that an upset was not only possible, but increasingly likely.

Everyone clamoring for more “balance” in the Cowboys’ attack might check the numbers from yesterday’s game. The running and passing were almost dead even. And the offense managed but seven points against a team that is contending for exactly nothing in 2009.

Lesson Two is for Wade Phillips.

Wade, you physical specimen, you. I cannot tell you how ridiculous you look when, after your defense has allowed the opponent to march into field goal range, only to have their kicker misfire, and you start fist-pumping and high-kicking like your team just accomplished something.

Please note that an unforced error by your opponent is not validation of your team’s prowess. Your defense was stellar and gave you plenty of opportunities and reasons to celebrate. Capitalize on those, if you must. Do cartwheels when they sack the quarterback, force a fumble, or get a pick to seal the deal (as they did yesterday). Just, please, for the sake of dignity, stop waving your pom poms on missed field goals.

Lesson Three is for Roy Williams.

Dear Roy, you are not in Midland anymore. You are not even in Austin. This is the NFL. You will not be able to put yourself on cruise control and rely on your natural talent to elevate you to the heights you envision for yourself. Everyone here is talented. And most of them are determined.

Get yourself some of that determination.

Lesson Four is for the Dallas Cowboys fan.

Your team is good, not great. They are talented, but not singularly talented.

The Dallas Cowboys have enough talent on the field to do some real damage in the playoffs, but the head coach is weak and the owner/general manager is…well, he’s Jerry. Enthusiasm for the team’s progress must be tempered by the knowledge that a weak head coach winning a Super Bowl title is an extremely rare occurrence in NFL history.

Lesson Five is for all of us.

This is the NFL. There are no Florida Internationals or Tennessee-Chattanoogas on the schedule. A win is a win…and it is precious.

“So, Good job everybody…?”