
As of Monday, October 29th, 2012, I, Phil Keith, a lifelong Cowboys fan, will no longer make excuses for and blindly support Tony Romo, Jason Garrett and Jerry Jones.
Tony Romo
I usually give Tony a pass because I realize it's easy to blame one guy--a critical player mind you--than a team of people. Knowing that, I have given him a long leash over the seasons. I admire his stats and the excitement and unpredictability that he brings to every play. Ultimately, I've always wanted him to succeed so badly. He seems like a bit of a douche but there is a likable quality there, as well. He's the consummate underdog and world beater. But, today, the theme is: a veil is lifted. He's just a guy. He's not a winner. O-line be damned…sometimes you must rise above, consistently make good decisions, and win despite the failings of your teammates. That's what star QBs in this league do. Perhaps this quote from a friend of a media member in our city had to say on Romo summarizes it most succinctly:
"Romo is an enigma to me. Within a game, he is basically the only reason the Cowboys have a reasonable chance of winning. Yet, in the same moment, he is invariably the reason that they lose."
I'm done with Tony Romo.
Jason Garrett
Boy Wonder - The Brain - RedBall. Call him what you will. I'm going to call him the Princeton Con Man. He got his degree in history, by the way. Not mathematics or engineering or physics. He may be book smart but, in all his years of coaching, he hasn't picked up street smarts (read: in-game and clock management). There's no way around it. He's hampered by the dual responsibilities of play-calling and making bigger in-game situational decisions. I shutter just thinking about close games at the end anymore. It's simply too much for any one person, no matter what their IQ level.
And, I'm not sure what his so-called "Cowboy Way" is. But, it's not a way that I like watching. It appears that this team makes many mental errors that result in a helluva lot of penalties. They seem to be winging it half the time. I'll excuse the defense. Rob Ryan has some skills and some players but the other two areas seem wild-assed.
I'm done with Jason Garrett.
Jerry Jones
Jerry will one-day look back on his time as Owner/GM and ask the fans: "Were you not entertained?" Three Super Bowl wins by your favorite team in your formative years will really put some scales on your eyes (mine). But, they have finally fallen away. I'm done with the bullshit promotion and Papa John's commercials and pole dancing in the stadium and a replay screen that's obnoxiously intrusive. I used to think my brain hurt being in the AAC watching the Mavs. That experience pales in comparison to a visit to Cowboys Studium. It's absurd. That screen should be strapped to 10 monster trucks and ripped out of the rafters. I might pay to see that.
Jerry, I don't know if you'll ever give it up. Maybe Stephen will wrestle the team from your Al-Davis-existence someday. I just don't know. I only know that I want it to be over now.
I'm done with Jerry Jones. He's a huckster not a "football man."