Whitt's End: 11.23.12
Whether you've reached the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End:
*2 signs of the Cowboys' Apocalypse on Thanksgiving at Cowboys Stadium: 1. Out of confusion, Tony Romo ran a quarterback sneak on 1st-and-10 with his team trailing 28-6; 2. Out of boredom, a female fan below the press box was actually knitting.
*So now we know why they call it Black Friday. Because we're wearing black. In mourning. For you know who. At 5-6 the Cowboys have zero shot at a Wild Card playoff berth. Only way to the post-season is by winning the NFC East. To do that they'll need 10 wins, which winning their last … oh forget it. Crappy Thanksgiving!
*While Jason Garrett blabs on and on with his repetitive robotic rhetoric about "battling back," give owner Jerry Jones credit telling the truth: Comebacks that almost win games are "hollow."
*I'm sure the Redskins' DeAngelo Hall was trying to be clever and cutesy, but there was nothing savvy about him falling down at Dallas' 1-yard line with :12 remaining on Thursday. Think about it: Would you prefer a 7-point lead and the ball with :12 left? Or a 14-point lead and having to kick-off with :12 remaining? Duh.
*Lone encouraging sign from Thanksgiving's 38-31 loss to the Redskins: Dez Bryant. Wish he would've held onto the late pass in the end zone, but nonetheless he caught 20 passes for 290 yards and 3 TDs in 5 days. He makes the catch Thursday and somehow comes down inbounds against the Giants and suddenly he's having a Pro Bowl season. And, yes, I was proud of Dez for not over-celebrating his 85-yard TD catch that brought his team within 15 points.
*Washington's 28 points in the 2nd quarter tied record for a Cowboys' opponent. It was accomplished twice before, last in '10 vs. the Green Bay Packers. 2 days afterward, Wade Phillips was fired.
*QUARTERBET: After a slow start to the season my wagering experiment is, well, working. Big time. Based on my premise that the NFL – more than ever – is a quarterback league, I'm betting $100 on every NFL game this season by simply picking the best quarterback. Regardless of the point spread, site of the game, etc. Went 9-5 last week and 2-1 on Thanksgiving – winning 2-1 Schaub over Stafford and Brady over Sanchez while losing Romo to RG3 – raising the record of my 2012 Quarterbet Theorem to a sparkling 163-139-8. At $100 per game and with 10% juice included on all losses, my bottom line: +$1,010.
*Tony Romo's passing yards in the last 3 home games: 1,191. Cowboys' record in the last 3 home games: 1-2.
*Yep, RAGE is working on Black Friday. We'll conduct the Cowboys' autopsy at Dukes in Addison. Dump your women at the mall and come commiserate with us. Also, we're holding a doggie donation drive benefitting DFW Rescue Me, so it's a good day to bring your old pet treats, blankets, collars, etc. Bark Friday. Get it?
*RG3 is a great player. No doubt. But let's not get carried away. Of his 4 touchdowns only the 1st – the bomb to Aldrick Robinson – was a great throw. The throw to Santana Moss was way behind the target and the one to Pierre Garcon was ridiculously bad and the last one forced a wide-open receiver to make a diving catch with no one around him. I'll tip my cap, but I ain't ready to sculpt the statue.
*Sometimes Jerry Jones comes out at halftime to make the 1st donation into the Red Kettle of the Salvation Army's holiday giving season. Not Thursday. He would've been roundly booed.
*HOT
*NOT
*It's not an excuse. But it, nonetheless, cannot be ignored: Late in Thursday's game the Cowboys were playing without 12 of their originally planned front-line players. On defense Jay Ratliff, Bruce Carter, Jason Hatcher, Barry Church, Kenyon Coleman, Orlando Scandrick and Sean Lee. On offense: Phil Costa, DeMarco Murray, Tyron Smith, Miles Austin and Kevin Ogletree.
*The Cowboys didn't hand the ball off to a running back a single time in the 2nd half. And it was the right move.
*I paid $2.99 for gas this morning. Where are all those cries of "Obama will yank us toward $5 gas!"?
*Danny McCray is a horrible tackler. The end. And, by the way, he's the Cowboys' special teams captain. Yikes.
*Anyone seen DeMarcus Ware? Anthony Spencer is having a more impactful season. If you accuse Tony Romo of empty numbers, who do evaluate Ware?
*Love the new commercial for the Samsung Galaxy S3. As the husband hops in a cab for the airport and a business trip, the wife leans in and whispers that she made him a video for the trip. As she taps his phone with hers to transfer the video, she reminds him not to watch the video on the airplane. With that, she seductively raises her eyebrows. Awesome. Makes me wanna get that phone, and book a trip.
*If you think you had a bad Thanksgiving consider the Ryan family. Brother Rex (Jets) and Rob (Cowboys) gave up a combined 63 points in the 2nd quarter of their losses. And when they awoke today, their dad was Buddy Ryan. No thanks.
*Just calm down, Redskins fans. You didn't earn RG3 because you were crafty, but because you were so horrible last season. And your record: 5-6. Same as Dallas.
*Robert Griffin III won the Heisman last year and was the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft. If you're patting yourself on the back and telling people "Toldja!" I'm sorry, but, no, you weren't the only one to predict greatness for RG3. Good try.
*How's Linsanity doing? As predicted here last winter, he was overrated. He's just average. In Houston Jeremy Lin is averaging 10 points per game on 33-percent shooting. Yawn.
*TCU beat Texas, and the intriguing part about the game was the … zzzzzzzz.
* Pam Oliver's hair thought the Redskins were wearing their burgundy jerseys Thursday.
*I have no explanation for the Cowboys' slow starts at home, only to note that in their last three in Arlington they trailed the Giants 23-0, the Browns 13-0 and the Redskins 28-3. Garrett is either a horrible game-planner or an empty motivator. Or both.
*George Dubya Bush received a standing ovation at Cowboys Stadium. He'd be booed in 30 of the NFL's 32 stadium. Only in Arlington and Houston would he be greeted with warmth.
*Bought a new 2013 BMW last week. It starts without a key and, in the name of fuel efficiency, the engine dies every time you come to a full stop. I mean, if you're on the highway in a traffic jam and you come to a stop, the car shuts down. With a turn of the steering wheel or when you're foot comes off the brake it automatically starts and off you go. Honestly, I hate it. But maybe I'll get used to it. Kinda like seat belts.
*Congrats DeMarco Murray, you and your foot injury missed the most important games of the Cowboys' season. No need to hurry back now.
*The Cowboys have played 5 home games. They have committed 18 home turnovers.
*The NBA this year is punishing flopping, or cheating in an attempt to fake out referees. Lost in the controversy surrounding Texans-Lions is the deception pulled by running back Justin Forsett. Knowing he was down – via both knee and elbow – he got up and sprinted for a touchdown. Should be penalized for the NFL's version of "flopping." And how the hell do the refs miss that call? Remember how horrible the replacements refs were supposed to be?
*During Thursday's halftime show there were twice as many geetars (6) in Kenny Chesney's band as the Cowboys had scored points (3).
*Selfish silver lining to Thanksgiving's debacle: I made a $100 bet with a 105.3 The Fan listener before the season that Romo would have more passing yards in 2012 than RG3. After Romo's career-high 414 yards, he leads Griffin by 853 yards with 5 games to go. Cha-ching!
*This weekend? Well, with the Christmas tree already put up and the Cowboys' playoff hopes already taken down, looks like we've suddenly got some free time. Maybe some tennis Saturday morning, a trip to JoCo MoFo to see Dear Ol' Mom and then some Lakers-Mavs Saturday night. Sunday … we Sabbath. Don't be a stranger.
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