On The 2-6 Cowboys' Signposts Up Ahead
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ARLINGTON (105.3 THE FAN) - You are searching for reference points, for historical signposts, for a path towards understanding.
And all you have is the 1989 season, the last time the Dallas Cowboys lost six straight games, as the 2015 edition of the defending NFC East champs have done.
Even Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, the optimistic wildcatter, admitted to 1989 flashbacks late Sunday night following Dallas' 33-27 OT loss at AT&T Stadium, a decision that hands this franchise a six straight loss for the first time since its dismal 1989 campaign, Jerry's first, which ended at 1-15.
Dallas this year has two wins. So 1-15 is mathematically impossible. But at 2-6, the math also says you don't rebound from that to make the playoffs -ever. And the math also says that at this moment, you will have the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft … and you can't be blamed for starting to glance in that direction.
"We have to look at not a lot of 'playoff talk','' Jones, "but just a way to beat Tampa Bay next week.''
- No draft talk. Not yet. But Jerry's right. No playoff talk, either.
This is an 8-8 league, I often say. It's designed— via free agency, the salary cap, the weighted schedule and yes, the draft — for parity.
But "parity'' means everybody gets a chance. And the Cowboys aren't benefitting from that.
And "an 8-8 league'' means everybody, you know, gets to hover around 8-8. The Cowboys — despite whatever "fight'' it takes to overcome the absence of Dez Bryant for six weeks and the absence of what will be eight weeks for Tony Romo (eligible to come back Nov. 22 at Miami) — are not hovering.
Oh, they're close. Two OT games without ever getting to touch the ball. A competitive loss to Atlanta. A 13-12 loss to Seattle. And on and on and on …
"It's one or two plays each Sunday that come back to haunt us,'' said Brandon Carr, with this "haunter'' coming courtesy of the Jordan Matthews 41-yard catch-and-run for the OT win. "We still have half the season to play and we've got to clock in every single day.''
You are searching for reference points, for historical signposts, for a path towards understanding. As the Cowboys try to keep "clocking in,'' they are doing the same.
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