Meta-morphasis
Posted: November 30, 2006 @ 1:28 am
The devil comes in many forms.
In the Garden of Eden he was a serpent,
In the movies, he was a lawyer in The Devil’s Advocate,
On Broadway, a baseball fan in Damn Yankees,
And in Dallas now, he comes in silver and blue wearing number 81.Terrell Owens is the devil alright,
Jerry Jones knew that when he offered him that sweet deal:
“here’s the money, get us to the Super Bowl…”… Jerry Jones knew that and he bit from the apple anyway,
… sometimes in good faith the devil will deliver,
before he claims your soul.Don’t say you weren’t warned!
– MNF announcer Tony Kornheiser’s peroration,
delivered just before the Cowboys/Giants kickoff, October 23rd
Brother Kornheiser can testify, can’t he? A few more minutes of his silver-tongued sermonizing and who knows, I might have renounced the Cowboys and been born again as a Redskins fan!
I have to dock the good Reverend K. for lack of originality. He may have spent days working on his gospel, but seriously, how many of you didn’t hear this warning a hundred times this summer? This was the press’ meta-narrative for Dallas in the year 2006 A.D. Pray it, er, say it with me now: Demon T.O. was going to divide the family in the locker room. Then, he was going to strike down Father Bill. Once done, he and Jerry could at last fulfill their master plan of destroying the Cowboys and conquering the world.
But a funny thing happened on the way to Dallas’ damnation — the season. Real games have a way of voiding the false prophesies and exposing the false prophets. Where is Owens these days? Circling above Valley Ranch, looking for virgin cheerleaders to sacrifice?
At last report, he had befriended fellow wideout Terry Glenn and Glenn’s young son! Not only was Owens making nice, he was making quiet. It seems that Terrell was not the devil, but had plenty of devil in him. As Cowboys fans now know, the wickedness has been driven from T.O., and the state, by a quarterbacking redeemer named Romo. What’s more, it seems Satan has landed in New York, where he has Giants players bearing false witness against one another.
Other passages of the meta-story are also changing, Now, “whispers” are emerging that (gasp) Parcells may stay another year. Some wise men are speaking of Dallas as a title contender. Who would have believed such profanity!
Just look how far our faith in the Cowboys has carried us the past six weeks. It’s good to know that football scripture is written on the field and not in the press box. May T.O. remain cured and may we never have to suffer this silly Cowboys’ forecast again.
Can I get an amen?
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Great piece, Raf. Really.
two things to say.
1) amen
2)
Funny
I read this article yesterday http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6174414 on Fox sports. Hildenbrandt’s point was that the Cowboys had all of America believing that they were superbowl bound and about how he never believe all the supposed hype around the boys and they are not a superbowl team. After reading the article I emailed him asking how he figures that everybody is picking the boys to go to the Superbowl. All I here from the media is negitive reporting such as TO is going to break up the band lquicker then Yoko Ono and the Offence can’t get it done ect. I accused him of just being another member of the Cowboy hating media. He replyed with the following article which he sent to me. http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6216526 which he basically retracts his first article because of the boys performance latley and also because of all the flack he received from other Cowboy fans.
2 points regarding the piece above:
1. T.O. has been a good boy lately, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to stay that way. T.O. can’t afford to be disruptive at this point. Romo looks like Tom Brady right now and if that holds up, the Cowboys have the opportunity to insert just about any decent WR on their team and win. Great QBs make average WRs look like All Pro players. T.O. acts up now and it’s that much easier to not fund his roster bonus next March.
2. The only thing that would prohibit Parcells from not returning to coach in Dallas next year would be a complete meltdown by the team over the next 5 games. First of all, Parcells is coach, he loves it too much, and as long as Bobby Knight is still active, Parcells will be doing the same. Secondly, he has built a championship caliber team his way…why would he want to hand those reins over to another coach who can waltz in here and win a few Super Bowls the way Bellichek did with the Parcells talent in New England? If Romo keeps it up, he’ll have a franchise QB, a young defense with loads of talent, and enough great young talent (Witten, Jones, Barber, Columbo) on offense to build around. Also, the Cowboys have all their drafts picks and are in good salary cap standing. Top that all off with the fact that the division is clearly leaning in Dallas favour. The Giants will lose Tiki next year (their biggest weapon), The Eagles will have McNabb coming off knee surgery and are in need of some serious talent at both the WR position and their front 7, and the Skins have way too many holes to fill and no draft picks. The NFC East is the Cowboys for the taking over the next 5 years.
Amen and pass the pretzels.
good morning all and to luke especially, who seems incredulous that i didnt throw DB under the bus in the last thread.
sorry, not going to happen.
i would agree that he was not going to take us to the SB this year, certainly not playing the way he was. like i said i supported his benching and the move to romo, and NO, BP didnt know FOR SURE romo would explode (in the good way). Of course it was a calculated move and of course he felt that he could be good. Again, i point to BP’s reaction in carolina. was he kissing everything in sight b/c he was so happy to have beaten the panthers, or was there some other reason???
As to romo, i cant say “i told you so” if he fails, b/c i, well, never told you so. i’ve never said he sucks, or he will fail, or (contrary to what some have posted) that the season was over if we started him. Luke seems to suggest that i want him to fail. What a bunch of BS, or horsepoo if you prefer. Why would i want him to fail? he is a great story, and could very well be the franchise QB we’ve been looking for.
Be that as it may, he still has plenty to demonstrate, things that guys like aikman and DB have already demonstrated. he has done nothing to make me think he cant handle those situations, but i hold no illusions that those situations wont come (nor should any of you).
So no, i wont throw BP under a bus, and no i wont back off my defense of him. The gist of my post was:
1. to complement rafael on a well done case study and
2. to repeat that i admire the way BP handled the situation and that i supported his decision to remain with DB as long as he did.
there is no reason to read that as some kind of knock on tony romo.
Kornholes rant on TO was the worst piece of premeditated sports commentary I have ever heard. That Monday Night crew is disgusting. The whole ESPN coverage is horrible, it’s like some gay e-news/celebrity gossip show with a football game as the backdrop. It’s a shame, I used to really enjoy Monday Night Football but now I don’t even watch it unless it’s Dallas.
Jarhead – “good morning all and to luke especially, who seems incredulous that i didnt throw DB under the bus in the last thread. sorry, not going to happen.â€Â
Good morning to you too…
How about you throw DB on your bed, him in his blue Cowboy boxer shorts and you in your favorite underwear, then you can man-wrestle him on the bed while telling him “Drew I will never throw you under the bus like those other big meanies!†And Drew will say “But will you still respect me in the morning Jarhead?â€Â. I hope your using protection because there’s not a chance in hell that Bledsoe will pull out on time!
Drew is a professional football player, he’s an adult, you said yourself Jarhead that he seems to be a good mature guy, why are you so scared of hurting his feelings? It’s simple, Drew we all like you but you’re just not very good anymore, and we’ve got a much better and younger QB, simple truth eh? What’s the big deal? What’s any of this got to do with a bus or throwing people under it? Why do we have to say it like “Drew my outstanding, brave, tough, veteran, hero, QB leader, you should take a seat.†“Why, tell me what’s going on†Drew says nervously. “I’ve got some bad news for you Drew, we’re replacing you with Tony Romoâ€Â. Drew goes deathly pale and begins shaking his head “NNNOOOOOO!!!!!! Not Again! Please NNNOOOO!!!!!!…
As I’ve said before I like Bledsoe, I wish we could have won the Superbowl with him last year for sure. But we didn’t, he stunk this year and Romo has been excellent, long live Romo. I agree, Bill, Drew and Tony as well as TO, Glenn and the rest of the team have all handled the switch very well. And it is a testament to the character that Bill instills in his teams and the characteristics he looks for in his players.
Luke,
Im sure there are some blogs where you can express your fantasies. this isnt one of them.
DB’s feelings have nothing to do with anything i posted. he’ll have to live with playing himself out of a job. again, my post was an evaluation of BP’s performance not DB’s. That was rafael’s analysis, was it not?
As to your assessment on the center man of the MNF crew, i couldnt agree more.
Jarhead,
I just find it funny that you seem to talk in reverence of how DB handled getting sacked and yet with Romo you continuously bring up negative comments like “he will have a really bad game sometimeâ€Â.
So it sounds like you’re judging Drew positively for playing like crap and you’re judging Romo negatively for things he hasn’t even done yet!?
Anyway, Baltimore @ Cincinnati, a penny for your thoughts?
Luke,
no reverance, just an observation that the guy has shown some toughness and some character. does that count for anything?
there is nothing negative about romo, he will have games where he gets beat up too.
in both cases, it may or may not be the QB’s fault, they’re simply going to have to make plays after taking a pounding.
Tony romo will have a bad game at some point. thats not meant as a negative, its just the way it is.
my gut says cincy, dont know why.
Jarhead,
I hope not I have a small bet on the Ravens. But it was a hard choice and I can see Cincy winning. Basically it came down to Cincy @ $1.58 or Baltimore @ $2.25, my betting motto;
When in doubt, take the bigger payout!
Goodnight.
mvppalisades
Your post 3 caused me to laugh out loud. I need that!! A good way to start the day.
Raf
A well written commentary. Talk is cheap, and opinions are like a-holes…
Amen brother!!!
We got a SN SN SN SN SNOW DAY!
Strahan did not practice Wed.
Is there any way we can BAN any further discussions on BP decision to bench DB and how he handled it and what would have happened if he had done it earlier and what BP’s thinking was and what Romo was thinking and what DB must be thinking now and…….
It seems like we have been having this conversation since the LAST Giants game. Who cares at this point?
Luke, and Jarhead,
Caeser is dead. Long live Caeser! lets move on, shall we? By the way, I appreciate the tactful way Bill aproached Drew about 4th quarter fill in duty, and the way Drew responded. We can all agree that these are 2 stand up guys. I would say the same of Romo too, but I kinda want to see how he handles adversity before I do. It has to be awfully tempting to get a swole up head with all the media love he is getting. Hope it doesn’t become a factor.
This entire thread is disturbing.
From Satan to sin to homo fantasies.
Next!
SDCOWBOYFAN,
i didnt say really anything other than you just posted, i guess i just said it much less succinctly than you did. i think you’ve summed it up well.
i’ve moved on.
Anyone hear what the weather is going to be like at Giants stadium on sunday? Snow would be fun. :smile:
Jarhead, are you still in? Retarted Navy here.
Hey SD, 15 year navy (active + reserves) here.
I just checked, and the forcast for Sunday is mid 30’s to mid 40’s highs, partly clowdy. The weather there might even be better than in the Dallas erea.
Raf, I love this line: Circling above Valley Ranch, looking for virgin cheerleaders to sacrifice?
Does anyone remember the link to the negative redskins article. They’ve talked about it so much on the radio that i’ve been wanting to read it.
BTW, I heard Dan Patrick say “Romosexual” on his program earlier this week.
staubachfan, Cool screenname. The man was my hero growing up. Go Navy! Beat Army! Are you planning on watching the game? Its on CBS Sat. 1330 CST. For you Air Force people, thats 1:30 PM. Jarhead, thats; Mickey’s little hand is on the one, and his big hand is on the six.
SDCOWBOYFAN, you’re breaking ‘em on jarhead about how to read a clock in the previous thread, and you can’t spell clowdy, I mean cloudy….lol
And being a pilot, though not in the Airforce, the Army/Navy game is at 1930 Zulu Time.
SDCOWBOYSFAN
That was hillarious!!!
I love the inter military jokes…..
Just when I started refering to TO as TO instead of Initials, he goes and says something about Vanderklank getting cut. It wasn’t bad, or newsworthy, but I got me eyes on you. Your still on probation.
Got our first snow day here in Texas today. Only 6″ but I love it! Of course I am an independent insurance adjuster and may have alterior motives.
Will be interesting to see Romo in a cold weather game, especially if there is wind. I have some similar feelings as Jarhead. I love Romo and what he has done, but he has got to have a bad game eventually and I would like to see how he reacts.
Almost too good to be true, waiting it out as us long time fans have seen it before (QCarter, Longley, Hogeboom, etc.) and the end wasn’t what we had hoped. I think he has got enough talent around him though that he is in a very good position.
SD I was thinking the same thing. Checked two sites and both have it good. partly cloudy and 45. Great articl e raf. I live for this blog. I like you point on having ‘faith’. Look back at some games in common this year with the gints. We beat Indy they didn’t. We crush the Titans, they lose. They squeak by TB and Houston, we crush them. Come on Romo!
1. I don’t get it. In hindsight, it’s OBVIOUS that Romo should’ve started the season. How can you say otherwise? It’s assinine.
Home field advantage through the playoffs was probably sacrificed because a spent Bledsoe played in 2006. He probably should’ve been released in the off season, hindsight being 20/20.
2. Kornheiser loves TO. Jerry Jones selling his soul is a cool metaphor and in many ways apt. I’m also a big fan of the devil in literature..
So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste.
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I’ll lay your soul to waste.
Pleased to meet you.
Hope you guessed my name.
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=waFOyhezIPA (check out who’s in the crowd)
Golden83,
That handle brings back some childhood memories.
Joey2,
I am not sure who is saying in hindsight we should not have. I think the message was that the decision was made with the info he had at the time. He had an idea in training camp, but DB played well in the game portions of pre-season.
In other words, knowing what we know now, yes. Knowing what we knew then, I can’t disagree with the decision and the timing. The only legitimate arguement I can think of was maybe doing it prior to the Texans game.
SD, Why did you call me out in the last post. I read your posts and you dont remind me of Einstein either.
joey2zs,
The metaphor is apt. Kornheiser was being tongue in cheek. So was I. But man, why then did his rant come off as forced and two months too late? It looked like piling on. Kornheiser has cultural capital by the carload, but the repeated ’50s Broadway musical references do make me roll my eyes. That’s the type of name dropping that won’t impress a football crowd.
BTW, the clip is from Rock n’ Roll Circus, no? With John Lennon rocking in the crowd?
Joey,
“I don’t get it. In hindsight, it’s OBVIOUS that Romo should’ve started the season. How can you say otherwise? It’s assinine.
Home field advantage through the playoffs was probably sacrificed because a spent Bledsoe played in 2006. He probably should’ve been released in the off season, hindsight being 20/20.â€Â
I don’t think you can look back at the season and declare without any hesitation that if Romo would have started we would have more wins and be in a better position to get home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
You may be right, our overall standing might have been better, but there was no guarantee of that. I think the team would still have needed some time to learn to work together (especially our defense). I also think that Parcells has the respect the team, they believe in him and are playing hard for him.
I’m not sure you get that if you make moves like putting Romo in at the beginning of the year when they both played about equally in the preseason games. He allowed the players to prove their worth on the field. Over the last few years I’ve heard a lot of
BPs players and x players say that. They respect that and they play hard for him because of that. They feel he treats them fairly, they are not worried about some hidden agenda; worried that one mistake will give BP a reason to bench them. He allows players to battle for their jobs and in the end they respect him for that. I think that makes for better team performance and chemistry in the end.
Raf’s guy KC Joyner has an article on ESPN.com listing Anthony Henry as one of the most underrated CBs in the league. According to his “metrics,” he’s even having a better season than Newman. That’s heartening, I suppose.
I put a lot of value in his metrics. But they are numbers only. WIthout knowing how they are tabulated, I don’t know if, or how to argue against them.
In other words if it is weighted toward passes defended then that alone will weight them to Henry as Newman has not had near as many thrown his way.
Since the article was for insiders only I did not read it.
I don’t know that the above is true, simply an example. I also do not mean that I disagree that Henry is doing well either.
Dang, Raf, that is just a great piece of journalism you did. TKorn wishes he had half of your talent and genuine interest in the game of football. And we wish they’d find someone halfway decent to replace him.
Since it would be impossible for anyone to add anything truly new to the discussion of TO/BP/Romo at this point, I’ll just reiterate my thanks for this blog.
WOW, on ESPN, the football section. The poll is about Coughlin losing control of the Gnats. Check out the results!!
The sooner Theisman and Kornheiser are off of MNF the better. They are both awful! Both are trying to be Howard Cosell. They like to hear themselves talk too much.
emrdog,
I too, got a snowday! I live in E. NM, you live near? haha no collegio for me today!
ElBerraco,
Did you notice Arron Glenn is also on that list?
I question KC’s use of the yards per pass attempt argument. If I’m correct when I say I’ve seen Henry playing off his recievers giving them some cushion, it would explain perhaps why he has a lower number in that category. Teams can more easily take the short open throw underneath. But again I’m not one to review games.
If there’s weather to worry about in NY, it’s wind, not the temperature. I haven’t looked at the forecast but that’s what is important.
I have been away and didn’t hear about the conversation about Bledsoe doing mop-up duty. Could someone summarize it?
Stillhate,
http://dallascowboys.com/news.cfm?id=364685E1-B7B1-B4B7-B0B8D42D5BC79590
At the bottom of the article is the summary. I wouldn’t skip the rest of the article however- good read.
Thanks Shane
CNMDallasfan,
I’m at Ok State. It’s all kinds of cold today.
Not sure if it was posted yet, but there’s a nice article at FoxSports about Demarcus Ware and the Dallas defense.
Amen Raf!
Nicely written, if Switzer had been the coach, then the ramblings of an idiot Kornheiser may come to pass, but with Parcells at the controls, no way T.O. gets away with the same excrement he pulled on other teams. I thought this from the beginning… and even though I detested his disrespect as a 49er at Texas Stadium, I thought this was a good match!
Joey2zs
Bledsoe played scared, in a panic? Give me a break! He’s been in the league for 14 years. He probably lost all the traits of a good QB you mentioned, but I don’t think he woke up one morning and decided that he was afraid to play football!
I also think that based on the kind of coach and person Bill Parcells is, he does give a flying f… about Drew Bledsoe’s feelings and legacy, but since we can’t ask him, we’ll never really know… will we. He also has a job to do… and that is position his team to be successful.
As far as knowing when Romo was ready, Parcells said it in his press conference. Talking with Romo’s father at practice, he said, “I’m just getting him ready,†and the reply was, “You’ll know when it’s time!â€Â
I think Parcells timing is fine, for all parties concerned.
Hey Raf,
Maybe subconsciously, you just described this blog as well. It wasn’t just the mediots. I think BP was on board the whole time and knew up front what he was getting and how he would go about business.
Raul
Thanks for the excellent article. The defense mat be finally getting the respect they deserve.
so Brees wins FredEx Air Player of the week, but Romo wins NFC Offensive Player of the week
superdave,
Your post #4… Great article from Ty. Thanks man.
superdave,
Your post #4… Great article from Ty. Thanks man.
Luke-
I have Ravens over Bengals only because i think this game is no different than Cowboys vs Colts. Bengals are explosive on offense with a questionable defense. Ravens have a 3-4 defense with a rejuvenated qb. Sounds familiar?
oh and btw
Cash,
You’ve got a good point on Joyner’s system concerning yards per reception. However, I think his reasoning is that any inflation soft coverage may produce is outweighted by yardage given up by poor overall coverage.
In other words, if you’re a good corner, guys might catch 7-8 yarders in front of you, but they’re not going to get behind you for 20 to 40 yarders.
One thing he points on in Henry’s review is how often teams test him deep and how little they beat him. Anquan Boldin might beat him for 40 and he did, but if you have to throw half a dozen times at Henry to get one good play, I think Henry’s higher average is worth it.
i don’t think weather is a concern because whether romo gotta deal with, eli’s gotta deal with it too (only except he sucks even more)
Mikaele 1
I don’t think that Bledsoe one day woke up and started playing scared, but I do think he started playing defensively - playing not to lose - and started feeling the hits before they came.
He was horrible in the end. He became a standing fetal position when DE’s were sucked in so he could throw a screen over top of them (and get the pass rushers out of their groove).
The punishment he has taken over the years has caught up to him.
Can he rebound next year somewhere else? Maybe.
But it isn’t likely…
check this out-
Cowboys are 7-4, Giants are 6-5
Next 5 Games for Cowboys
Giants 8-4
*Saints 8-5 (worst case scenario)
Falcons 9-5
Eagles 10-5
Lions 11-5
*I stil think we’ll finish 5-0, but let’s just say hypothetically
Next 5 Games for Giants
Dallas 6-6
Panthers 7-6
Eagles 8-6
Saints 9-6
Deadskins 10-6
Do you see it? IF COWBOYS BEAT THE GIANTS, WE CAN LOSE ONE GAME AND STILL WIN THE DIVISION EVEN IF THE GIANTS WIN EVERY GAME FOR REST OF THE SEASON (WHICH YOU AND I KNOW WON’T HAPPEN). HOW DO U LIKE THEM APPLES? GIANTS PLAYOFF DESTINY IS ON COWBOY’S HANDS.
alanTdot
I think “defensively” is a much better word… and the punishment has taken it’s toll. You would have to be blind not to see it.
I would like to see him retire, because I watched him play… and once I thought he was great, but those days have passed
mvp, the one game I would worry about more after this is the Falcons. I know, I know, Vick is highly over rated, but it’s in Atlanta. I feel more comfortable predicting a win over New Orleans because it is in Dallas.
I don’t think for a second that Brees will have a day against us like he has been. NO is still fairly young, and Brees is carrying them. Their defense is highly suspect, look at how wide open some of Vick’s receiver’s were. I think with our solid D, we beat the Saints at home.
The Atlanta game is the only one after the Gints that I feel a little nervous about. On the road, and if Vick gets hot, he can be dangerous. We get them down early, the boo’s rain down, and we go from there.
bushpilot- for all i know, each of one us can pick one game that they think cowboys might lose. MY POINT is that we can lose any ONE game and still win division if we win the rest. i say the saints, u say the falcons. all good, same result in the end.
Amen…
…and may the Lord take a liking to you and blow you up real good!
Scared and defensively are not the same thing.
Running away from Strahan is being scared of being hit and the pain. When you’re scared, your adrenaline is pumping harder, time really speeds up. Playing defensively suggests that you’ve thought through the circumstances and come to a conservative, safe solution rather than try something risky. Um, that’s not nearly Drew Bledsoe at the end.
He was totally panicked in all his decision making… the hallmark of an athlete playing in a panic.
Nervous, panicky, scared… it’s all the same and they all apply to Bledsoe.
Confidence keeps you well ahead of that fog in the back of your mind. Indecision means you’re lost in that fog. He is/was totally, completely lost.
:shootnyg: