Figure It Out ……………
Well Monday Night Football brings us a conference and divisional —— matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins . For these two NFC East teams comes the first of two divisional games where the duo will look for dominance between both parties. Mike Shanahan as coach of this Redskins’ team is off a 2-0 start and one of the surprises of the season , albeit that the schedule is in its infancy. The Redskins’ coach seems to have this team playing with a great deal of resilience with the offense seem to be leading the way with the play of incumbent quarterback Rex Grossman taking the helm and leading by example .
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Slide show for your perusal .
From my own standpoint this game should prove to be something of an eye opener as to the ambitions of both teams. Cowboys Stadium will play host to these two divisional rivals with team owner Jerry Jones still singing the praises of his $1.3 billion homage to ostentatious opulence , albeit that the Cowboys simply have struggled in the early part of their schedule , having lost a winnable game to the New York Jets inexplicably. For some reason Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo would like to have us believe that he should be seen as one of the elite players at the position within the league but fortunately for many of us we know that’s simply not true . And for the ever consuming idiot analysts within ESPN who continue to drool over the player’s alleged abilities my question for them is when will they simply wake up to the fact that Tony Romo is not an exceptional talent ? He may well be statistically the second most successful quarterback in the franchise’s history sitting behind Hall of Famer — Roger Staubach . But that counts for nothing when you have yet to lead the Dallas Cowboys to successful run in the NFL postseason and therein lies the dilemma facing the Cowboys’ organization .
For Jones’ counterpart there’s the equally ambitious Dan Snyder whose millions seems to be limitless when it comes to spending money needlessly on overpriced talent . The Albert Haynesworth and Donovan McNabb experiments were a case in point where neither player were at all productive for the team last season .
Both the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins garnered themselves some highly regarded talent in this past NFL Draft and it seems to have paid dividends for the Cowboys and Redskins as both seek to complement their respective rosters. Jason Garrett having succeeded his predecessor Wade Phillips seems to have the Dallas Cowboys playing with a great deal of confidence but as I alluded to before the Achilles’ Heel for this team just happens to be Tony Romo.
Now while Romo has a litany of offensive weapons at his disposal with the likes of Dez Bryant , Miles Austin , Jason Witten , Felix Jones , DeMarco Murray and Tashard Choice the real problem has been the inconsistency of the Dallas Cowboys to close out a game decisively . If they are to succeed then it will be incumbent of Jason Garrett and the coaching staff to emphasize that to his players.
With what appears to be a renewed belief amongst the Washington Redskins’ fans as well as the front office of the organization it would appear that Mike Shanahan and his coaching staff led by his son Kyle Shanahan has this team — playing with a great deal of resolve . Given the mindset of Dan Snyder and the very fact that he’s a mirror image of Monday night counterpart without the title of general manager . As much as Jones and Snyder are viewed as two of the more high profiled owners within the league it has been their mere presence with interjecting themselves in the day to day affairs of the respective franchises that they own which has led to the ongoing lack of success for both teams over the last decade. Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder may feel that as owners it is their right to dictate the terms under which their teams operate and what they expect their coaches to do . Unfortunately for both success has been fleeting and it would appear that both Jason Garrett and Mike Shanahan are in for an uphill battle if they are to succeed for their respective franchises.
Results they say can be misleading given the premise of the schedules set by the league . But I would susgest it all comes down to how the teams prepare themselves leading up to gameday . And clearly this seems to have worked out and favored the Washington Redskins but I would suggest that their season while in its infancy has yet to convince me that this team is capable of being considered a legitimate contender within the NFC for the Superbowl .
Rex Grossman for his part has shown why he was preferred over counterpart John Beck . And as good as both appear to be for this team it would very well lead to the Redskins struggling for much of the season . The long held belief that the game has passed Mike Shanahan by may well have been justified but that now seems to give us a moment to rethink mindset.
Monday night’s game could provide us with several clues as to the aspiration and direction of the Cowboys and Redskins . Both are proving that on both sides of the ball they are capable of showing playing at a reasonably high level . I am not convince that either the Dallas Cowboys or Washington Redskins are truly capable of being considered amongst the very best that the NFC has to offer by way of being the best teams the conference has offer much less win the Superbowl.
The NFL season while still in its infancy won’t give us a a clear indication as to an outright favorite as of yet but by week 9 or 10 we should be getting a much clear indication as to what lies ahead for the real contenders as they look to separate themselves from the pretenders . As to the coaches on the perceived ” hot seat “ we may well see a casualty . My own thought as to who are the likely candidates ………….. well you can count Norv Turner , Chan Gailey , Tony Sparano , Jack Del Rio and Tom Coughlin should he not be able to corral the New York Giants ——– lead them to at least the divisional round of the playoffs . Anything less , and I believe that the coach’s tenure in New York with this franchise will come to an abrupt end !
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Picture gallery for your perusal .
What if anything has come as a complete surprise to you as the NFL embarks upon another season ? And do you believe that either the Dallas Cowboys or Washington Redskins are viable contenders within the NFC for the Superbowl ? Simply chime in with a thought as to this piece and anything else you believe to be pertinent .
Alan aka tophatal ………. https://tophatal.wordpress.com
Picture and slide show details below .
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(1) Tony Romo (9) of the Dallas Cowboys throws a pass against the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game at Candlestick Park on September 18, 2011 in San Francisco, California. The Cowboys won the game in overtime 27-24 . Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images ….
(2) Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) is sacked by New York Jets linebacker Calvin Pace (97) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011, in East Rutherford, N.J. AP Photo/Julio Cortez ……
(3) Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan watches the action in the first half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals in Landover, Md., Sunday, Sept. 18, 2011. Washington won 22-21. AP Photo/Nick Wass ……
(4) Quarterback Rex Grossman (8) of the Washington Redskins hands the ball off to running back Tim Hightower (25) during the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at FedExField on September 18, 2011 in Landover, Maryland. Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images …….
(5) Two of the NFL’s more high profiled owners seen here at Fedex Field in Landover , Maryland . Dan Snyder (left) owner of the Washington Redskins is seen here with his Dallas Cowboys counterpart Jerry Jones prior to a game between their respective teams . Getty Images / Harry How …………….
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MNF Pre-game preview Washington Redskins @ Dallas Cowboys —— Cowboys Stadium , Arlington , Texas ,.
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