Didn't learn anything new

Well, the truth is, we didn't really learn anything we didn't already know on Sunday. I didn't get to watch the game, so anything I say about it is based on reading re-caps and analyses from others. Here are what seem to me to be the indisputable facts about the Cowboys: They're extremely talented. They're extremely undisciplined. They have a spineless coach and a puzzling offensive coordinator. They have an owner/general manager who is the best in the world at marketing his product. They have an owner/general manager who is the worst in the world when it comes to meddling in the coaching parts of his team.

I was, frankly, surprised at the hype this game generated in the later parts of last week. Everyone was talking about it as, for all practical purposes, a "playoff game," meaning whoever lost would be effectively out of the running for this year's postseason. I understand that angle, but I, quite simply, disagree. This was a game of mediocre-to-bad football teams. Of course, now the talk is that Minnesota is a win away from being back in the thick of the NFC North hunt. I understand that angle too, since we are talking about an extremely mediocre NFC this year. Still, the only way I would have been convinced that Sunday's winner could be a real playoff contender is if the winning team absolutely dominated its opponent and made a strong statement. Instead, as far as I can tell from reading lots and lots of NFL material, Dallas played as good or better than the Vikings in almost every phase of the game, but committed some very costly mistakes that all but handed Minnesota the win (consider that the Dallas defense gave up just 14 points [the field goal that came after Romo's late INT can hardly be held against them], and made Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin look pedestrian at best).

Basically, I don't believe either of these teams has a deep playoff run in them. Sure, the Vikings are in much better shape. They're in what appears to be a weaker division, and 2-3 is lightyears ahead of 1-4. I just don't think beating the Cowboys by a field goal at home after having the ball thrown into your linebacker's hands should be considered "dominant," or a sign that a team has turned it around and is headed for a conference championship.

I read a blog post that reprinted some of the things Jerry Jones said on his weekly radio appearance this morning about the team. He apparently believes that the team is playing pretty well, that they're better than a 1-4 team, and that, at least in part, they're a victim of bad luck. I wish I could get ahold of whatever drug he's using. He also continues to express confidence in Wade Philips, and has even started talking like him.

Both Coach and Owner love to point out how good Dallas performs. They've outgained opponents in total offense by over 100 yards in every game so far this season (except the game they won). They talk about how they held Adrian Peterson to something like 2.4 yards per carry, and every other stat they can dream up that gives the appearance of a strong team. As this blogger pointed out, though, it's easy to outgain opponents when they have 3-4 drives per game that start inside Cowboys territory! Philips spoke last week about how they did a good job of keeping Vince Young in check against the Titans. Nevermind that the Titans began one of their drives at the Dallas 8 yardline. Damn endzone keeps getting in the way of the opposition gaining yards! Seriously, Wade and Jerry, if you're interested in using your team to gain points for your fantasy teams, more power to you, but if you'd like your team to WIN (that is, be ahead of the other team when time expires), you're going to have to make some changes. "We're doing fine, we're just a victim of bad luck" isn't going to cut it anymore.

There are obviously plenty of fans who want Wade Philips fired right now. I honestly don't care if it's done now or in January, as long as it's done.

The real problem isn't Wade, though. It's Jerry. Until he fires himself, or learns to shut his trap and stay in his plush owner's suite, not much will change. Firing Wade only does some good if his replacement is a hard-nosed disciplinarian -- but that's the kind of coach Jerry never seems interested in hiring.

If you haven't been able to tell, I've essentially given up on any hopes of a successful Cowboys season this year. Oh well. I'll still watch football every week, and I'll still love the game. In fact, as I type I'm getting giddy with excitement over the Cowboys being on Monday Night Football next week (home against the Giants). I've got a potato-skins recipe I've been wanting to try...