Decade of Futility - 2-2 Record Only Familiar Fixture For Struggling Cowboys

Jerry Jones would have everyone believe that his Dallas Cowboys are an elite club of the football variety.  No other NFL team, so his story goes, has the combination of talent, coaching, and will-power that can flatten opponents on a weekly basis.  Dallas, he proudly confesses, is a veritable palace filled with pigskin magicians that work the wonders of that managerial wizard ruling from the pinnacle of Mount Jerry.

If it weren’t for Sunday afternoons in autumn he’d have the entire world convinced. But Sunday came, and Sunday went with the truth too bold and glaring in detail to hide.  The 2013 Cowboys look all too similar to the many other squads of the past fifteen years that seems to have defined Jones’ rule in Dallas. 

By a 30-21 score, the Cowboys were officially out-coached and out-played by a San Diego Chargers team that was unanimously declared as “mediocre” by the national media before the game.  As a result, Dallas now stands at the exact same place they have stood at the quarter-mark in each of the past two seasons with Jason Garrett as head coach, smack-dab in the middle of mediocrity’s median, groping for answers and footing with a record of 2-2.

Jones spent many an hour this past off-season assembling his new-look coaching staff.  73-year old Monte Kiffin was brought in from the college ranks to fix what Jones perceived to be a broken defensive unit under Rob Ryan.  And Bill Callahan replaced Jason Garrett as the team’s offensive coordinator.

With early voting now complete, Jones’ fresh approach has been far from refreshing for the Cowboys.

Against two Pro Bowl-caliber quarterbacks (Eli Manning & Philip Rivers) in September, the Dallas defense has allowed more than 850 yards combined through the air.  And each of Manning and Rivers managed to toss three touchdowns against Dallas.

Help doesn’t appear to be on the horizon, either.  Anthony Spencer has been placed on IR, fellow defensive end Demarcus Ware is now dealing with stingers and a strained back, while stud linebacker Bruce Carter has proven to be susceptible to the big play in pass coverage.

Offensively, the Cowboys rushing attack is inconsistent from week to week, hinging largely on how committed Callahan wants to be to it.  And Tony Romo, though avoiding impulse throws, has yet to post a 300-yard game this season.

Receiver Miles Austin is now dealing with another nagging hamstring injury, left tackle Tyron Smith was banged up in the fourth quarter against San Diego, and rookie wideout Terrance Williams continues to suffer from lapses of concentration.

Callahan’s halftime adjustments have also proven to be ineffective.  Through four games, the Dallas offense has managed to score a total of 23 points after intermission.

From the smoke and haze of this less-than-inspiring start has come the realization that the Cowboys are a team with an uncertain identity.  Callahan seems hesitant to commit to running back Demarco Murray, yet has proven equally reluctant to let Romo go downfield with the ball.

Question marks pop up at nearly every position on the defensive side of the ball.  Can Jason Hatcher continue to play at a high level with Ware at less than full speed?  Is Mo Claiborne playing hurt, or is he suffering from a sophomore jinx.  Either way, he has proven to be anything but reliable thus far.  Can Kiffin patch-up the apparent weaknesses that have been exposed at the linebacker level?

When cast in the light of Jones’ lofty expectations, September was a month of regression for the Cowboys.  In search of that ever elusive Super Bowl, Dallas managed to turn a powerful offense into an aesthetically-challenged menagerie, and a struggling defense into an unholy question mark.

Not that there’s been any damage in the won-loss department.  The Cowboys are sitting at .500 today, the lone mark of familiarity for a club surrounded by unfamiliar struggles.

Can Cowboys Beat Chargers? Yes, But Don't Bet On It.

Many a skeptical comment has been offered up toward the high throne of numerous indomitable statisticians of this world from the humble paradise of self-proclaimed realists.  Football, it has been argued, isn’t a game of numbers – such as completion percentage and rushing attempts – but rather a game defined by the almighty alphabet – as in Ws and Ls.

Personally, I’ve always wondered if the realists would care to define the amount of Ws and Ls in some measure that defies numerical process.  But that’s splitting straws, so I’m told, so I feel compelled to bring the conversation back to present reality in a fashion that pleases far more than one, and certainly not less than all.

So let’s talk some Cowboys football.

What about the Cowboys? you ask. Will they run their record to 3-1 for the first time in five years with a win over San Diego on Sunday?

Well, according to statistical analysis of previous games, it has been concluded that their hopes of getting away from the sleepy .500 doldrums that the patrons of Valley Ranch have so long loved are... [drum roll] ...next to nil.  Nada, as in zero.  Zero as in L.  L as in .500.  .500 as in Jerry World.

The 21^st Century has been unkind to the Cowboys in a plethora of fashions, but particularly when it comes to winning a season’s fourth game.  For what it’s worth, in thirteen attempts since 2000, the Cowboys have managed a woeful 3-10 mark in the fourth contest of a season. 

The only wins during that span have come against woefully inferior opponents.  Dallas nipped the Kurt Warner-less Rams 13-10 in 2002 on a late Billy Cundiff field goal, manhandled Arizona a year later by a 24-7 score, and then annihilated a poor St. Louis club 35-7 in 2007.

The losses, while plentiful, have certainly not lacked for drama.  Included in the list is Terrell Owens’ dance on the star at Texas Stadium in 2000, and Tony Romo’s second-half collapse against the Lions in 2011.

Among the ten defeats is an 0-3 mark against AFC West opponents, which should attract attention considering the divisional locale of this week’s foe.

San Diego may not be a playoff team this year, but then again they might be.  Each of their three games has come down to the final seconds, and if not for a fourth quarter meltdown in the secondary against Tennessee, they would share an identical 2-1 record with Dallas.

Will the Cowboys get the W this weekend?

Just look at the numbers to find the likely letter.

 
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Decade of Futility - Jerry Jones' Magic Offensive Assembly Showing Signs Of Strain

Jerry Jones promised that great things were in store for the Dallas Cowboys in 2013 with Bill Callahan and Tony Romo acting as co-offensive coordinators.  That’s why Jones had head coach Jason Garrett step back into the shadows, believing that the team would function much smoother than in the recent past, that the Cowboys would pile up victories in record fashion, and everybody at Valley Ranch would be one big, fat, happy, and sassy family.

And then the season began.

Out of 61 offensive plays run on Sunday in Kansas City, the Cowboys opted to call only 13 running plays.  The result was less than inspiring, to say the least, as Dallas fell to the Chiefs 17-16, and complaints were heard within the locker room over play-selection.  Running back Demarco Murray wants the ball more.  Callahan said the offensive line needs to be better at run-blocking.  Garrett was displeased that Romo and Callahan simply gave up on the ground attack.  And there are verbal musings hopping around the Ranch, wondering why Romo forgets about wide receiver Dez Bryant in clutch situations.

We’re only two weeks into the season and the mill is already grinding. 

Oh, the wonderful work of Jerry.

Tony Romo's Rib Injury Cause For Concern In More Ways Than One

Though recognized for his shortcomings in what has become dubbed recently as "win or go home" games, Tony Romo has never been regarded as an injury-prone quarterback.  That could change soon.
Going back to last December's season finale in Washington, Romo has now suffered rib injuries in back-to-back games.  And just because the two games are separated by nine months doesn't mean that fans should discount this statistic as rubbish. 
We all remember Romo's ill-fated fourth quarter deflated duck to Demarco Murray that ultimately eliminated the Cowboys from the playoffs last season.  That pass was one of many errant tosses that Romo delivered that night, courtesy of a first-quarter shot to the ribs.
Now, here we are approaching the second weekend of games in the 2013 season and Cowboys fans are salivating over what appears to be a golden opportunity to get out of the first month with a perfect record.
Their best chance to achieve such a feat is with an efficient Romo under center.
But is Romo healthy enough to deliver?
Sunday's tilt in Kansas City will tell us.