Cowboys' Gauntlet

Officially, the gauntlet begins for the Cowboys against their rivals, the Redskins.  The Cowboys need to run a 7-game gauntlet in order to make the playoffs this year and secure at least 1 home game during the playoffs.  We can probably win 5 of 7 and make the playoffs, but we will not host a playoff in Texas Stadium.  Jerry Jones paid millions in signing bonuses and 3 million to an offensive coordinator who have yet to earn their bonuses.  This is a good a time as any to start earning all those millions.

Keys to running the gauntlet are the following:  no doubt that Romo can throw over 300 yards, but can he eliminate the turnovers that allows teams to remain in the game when they should be buried; if Flozell Adams can keep DEs from Romo with a broken hand; the return of Kozier the Left guard should solidify the rest of the O-line; Roy Williams needs to have an impact that takes double teams from T.O., frees up Witten even more, and remove the 8th defender in the box for Barber and F. Jones to have better production; the defensive front 7 need to make sacks and create havoc during 3rd downs when it matters the most; the secondary needs to be able to stay in their zones against the bunch formation in the red zone; special teams must not bring in the rear; penalties must be eliminated especially during 3rd downs that enable other teams to sustain their drives and prohibit ours from moving the ball; no more cake and ice cream from Coach Phillips; and each member of the organization needs to have a sense of urgency.

No more Super Bowl victory smiles after a regular season win until the actual Super Bowl is won.  The time is now and there is no better time than the present to turn a season around.  From the immortal words of Double A, "it's gut check time".