Eventful Week For The Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys Lose, Get Hurt, Get Suspended And Trade
It's been a week of big time losses for the Dallas Cowboys.
First, they completely fall apart against the Arizona Cardinals and lose the game on a blocked punt. Then the real losses came.
Tony Romo's hurt
The most notable injury is the broken pinky of quarterback Tony Romo, who will miss at least a month. Veteran Brad Johnson takes the helm and while he has nowhere near the arm strength or talent as Romo at this point in his career, he's a solid option at quarterback on a team with a great tight end and a good receiving running back out of the backfield.
Injuries all over
But the injuries don't stop there. Electric runner Felix Jones is also out for at least a couple of weeks with a bad hamstring, an injury that can be a season killer for guys who rely on speed. Jones doesn't touch the ball nearly as much as Marion Barber, but has been phenomenal as the team's change of pace back. He makes those runs to the outside that Barber just can't and then some, averaging 8.9 yards per carry. On top of that, he was the team's top kickoff returner, averaging 27.1 yards per return, including a 98-yard touchdown. Also out is punter Mat McBriar, who was hurt on that blocked punt that ended Sunday's game. While he'll be remembered most for that, what people will overlook was the fact he was fourth in the NFL and second in the NFC with an average punt of 49 yards and he was one of the best in the league in pinning teams back inside their own 10.
'Pacman' suspended again
As if all that wasn't enough to make this week a bad one, Adam 'Pacman' Jones has been slapped with an indefinite suspension after Roger Goodell's office's investigation of his latest incident found it to be an alcohol-related incident, which is a violation of his parole. Jones hasn't exactly been the greatest for the Cowboys, especially in their zone packages, but with Terrance Newman already out after having surgery on his groin, Dallas needed him to step up.
Cowboys trade for Roy Williams
All this brings us to the trading deadline, which usually passes without a whisper. This year, the Cowboys broke with that tradition and made a deal with the struggling Detriot Lions, getting disgruntled wide out Roy Williams. What do the Cowboys give in return? Oh, just a first round pick, a third round pick and a sixth round pick.
A sign of desperation?
The Cowboys had an extra third round pick to dispose of because of a clause in the deal they made with the Tennessee Titans for Pacman Jones which states if Jones were to be suspended, the Titans would have to compensate them with the pick. But the Cowboys exposed themselves for what they now are - a desperate football team. Losing so much in such a brief period of time had the Cowboys hitting the panic button and they did anything they could to make a splash. But what kind of affect will it have on the team? It's doubtful to be a positive one. Now instead of one receiver complaining about not getting enough passes thrown his way, the Cowboys will now have two and a quarterback who won't hold onto the ball long enough to look for the deep ball. On top of that, there's now no room for younger receivers like Miles Austin, who had turned out to be a very solid third wide receiver, averaging 23.3 yards per catch and the most touchdowns by anyone on the team whose initials aren't T.O. As if he wasn't going to have enough trouble attracting attention behind Terrell Owens, Patrick Crayton, Jason Witten and Marion Barber, he's going to have an even harder time now even getting off the bench. The Cowboys put all their eggs in one basket hoping the acquisition of another receiver - as talented as he is - would hide the fact that this team needs so much more.
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