ESPN's Michael Wilbon on the Cowboys: 'They're not a contender'

[Bonecrusher#31]

ESPN's Michael Wilbon on the Cowboys: 'They're not a contender'
Posted at 4:27 PM on Thu., Sep. 30, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
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Michael Wilbon, ESPN NFL and NBA analyst and columnist for the Washington Post, discussed the Cowboys in a recent episode of Pardon the Interruption. Some excerpts:

"The Dallas Cowboys finally in the win column," Wilbon said. "They beat a good Texans team in Houston yesterday and the tone and the reaction is this is the win that will launch them all the way all the way to the Super Bowl. Certainly Tony Romo and the defense played with the kind of urgency that suggests the Cowboys knew something big was at stake. Still, they're 1-2.

"Here's my problem with the Cowboys specifically. They're going to win four in a row because they do all the time and then they're going to look like dogs in the next few games. My problem with the Cowboys is when you have this kind of talent, and you have this kind of tradition and these kinds of expectations and your owner spends all this money ... they don't play as a team. It's a disconnect. They have the individual talent, but they don't play up to this level all the time so what's the disconnect? There's gonna be a disconnect, because they're not a contender.

 

[Plymkr]

Umm, no team is a contender at the moment. I mean, sure, there possibly some gimme's, but, every team is just a team right now. Get to week 13 or so, then talk about it.

 

[Cr122]

Wilbon is the biggest Cowboys hater there is, go suck on that Redskin schlong, Wilbon.

 

[sbk92]

Wilbon is the biggest Cowboys hater there is, go suck on that Redskin schlong, Wilbon.

I don't think so. He certainly isn't a Redskins homer. He rips them all the time.

I think he just doesn't believe in this team. And I don't know how you can find that point of view invalid when you look at it's recent history.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I don't think so. He certainly isn't a Redskins homer. He rips them all the time.

I think he just doesn't believe in this team. And I don't know how you can find that point of view invalid when you look at it's recent history.

Yeah.

That's about the size of it.

This team has accomplished some things... but not the things that give across the board credibility like say the Steelers or Patriots.

 

[Plymkr]

Yep, the dude is a Bears fan.

And at this point. The Cowboys have accomplished 1 win and 2 losses.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

Wilbon is the biggest Cowboys hater there is, go suck on that Redskin schlong, Wilbon.

Wilbon is a Bears' fan because he grew up in Chicago but he is also a Redskins' fan as well, because of his show in D.C.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

I wonder if Wilbon feels the same way about the Chargers? They are also 1-2. Or will he give them a pass like everyone else does?

 

[sbk92]

Yeah.

That's about the size of it.

This team has accomplished some things... but not the things that give across the board credibility like say the Steelers or Patriots.

They won a wild card game. That's it. Certainly not anything that would give them the benefit of the doubt like you mentioned with those other teams.

I don't know why fans even get upset about stuff like this. If you follow this team at all, you know they play best when they are being disrespected.

Keep it coming.

 

[sbk92]

I wonder if Wilbon feels the same way about the Chargers? They are also 1-2. Or will he give them a pass like everyone else does?

Completely irrelevant. He was talking about the Cowboys.

 

[Cythim]

I completely agree with him. We are a team that constantly shoots itself in the foot. They can go on great streaks and look like world beaters but always seem to turn around and stink it all up at some point. Just look at last year and how we struggled for a while and finally clicked for a few games at the end of the season before losing it again in our loss to the Vikings. The same thing happened in 2008, we started off hot (4-1) then took a nose dive until we finally blew it in the last month of the season. We are a really good football team who can play with anyone in the league until we have that disconnect.

 

[Bonecrusher#31]

They won a wild card game. That's it. Certainly not anything that would give them the benefit of the doubt like you mentioned with those other teams.

I don't know why fans even get upset about stuff like this. If you follow this team at all, you know they play best when they are being disrespected.

Keep it coming.

I agree and I wish the Dallas media would do more of it but after we show signs of looking good they(Dallas Media) jump on the wagon we see nothing but POSITIVE articles. Smack our team until they at least get to Super Bowl please.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

They won a wild card game. That's it. Certainly not anything that would give them the benefit of the doubt like you mentioned with those other teams.

I don't know why fans even get upset about stuff like this. If you follow this team at all, you know they play best when they are being disrespected.

Keep it coming.

Most of the teams with major credibility seem to be from the AFC... Pat's, Steeler's, Colt's. I think even Baltimore and the Chargers have more credibility than any team in NFC outside of New Orleans. The Giants have lost any credibility they had. The Eagles... I'm not sure what they've got. The Cards aren't there. Maybe the Packers have a little of it.

 

[SixisBetter]

I'll say what I said elsewhere;I'd like to buy Wilbon at my price and sell him at his.I don't think much of him or his buddy "The Great Cornholio".

I'd have to be under court order or at gunpoint to watch PTI.

But he's got a point.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

I completely agree with him. We are a team that constantly shoots itself in the foot. They can go on great streaks and look like world beaters but always seem to turn around and stink it all up at some point. Just look at last year and how we struggled for a while and finally clicked for a few games at the end of the season before losing it again in our loss to the Vikings. The same thing happened in 2008, we started off hot (4-1) then took a nose dive until we finally blew it in the last month of the season. We are a really good football team who can play with anyone in the league until we have that disconnect.

So any team that loses, it's because they shot themselve sin the foot? Losing Romo for three games clearly had nothing to do with that.:wha?

 

[Sheik]

Michael Wilbon. Not because of this article, but because I don't like him. Go F your Mother, then yourself.

 

[Cythim]

So any team that loses, it's because they shot themselve sin the foot? Losing Romo for three games clearly had nothing to do with that.:wha?

Losing Romo had nothing to do with getting beat by Pittsburgh, Baltimore or Philadelphia at the end of the season.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

Losing Romo had nothing to do with getting beat by Pittsburgh, Baltimore or Philadelphia at the end of the season.

But him playing with an injured pinky on his throwing hand all season even after the miss of 3 games in part certainly did. I think it's just stupid fr him or Wilbhon to simply claim that the Cowboys are NOT contenders because of the claim ofg "shooting oneself" in the foot, when with eqaul merit the claim can be made that they are contenders, based on when they are playing strong.

 

[Plymkr]

Anytime this team loses, it has to do with all of the team. Every phase, at one point , fucks up. To say otherwise is ridiculous.

THey are "contender" right now just like about 28 or 29 teams are,

 

[Cythim]

But him playing with an injured pinky on his throwing hand all season even after the miss of 3 games in part certainly did. I think it's just stupid fr him or Wilbhon to simply claim that the Cowboys are NOT contenders because of the claim ofg "shooting oneself" in the foot, when with eqaul merit the claim can be made that they are contenders, based on when they are playing strong.

You sure do love making excuses. Romo's pinky had nothing to do with these losses. Do you want to run down the list of games?

@Arizona: We fell behind from the opening kickoff (returned for TD) and cannot make a first down on our first four possessions (against a horrible defense!). Luckly we go into halftime tied at 7. We open the 2nd half with another TD drive to go up 14-7 but then, even though they haven't been on the field since 5 minutes to go in the first half, our defense gives out. Arizona scores on their next three drives and we blow it in overtime with a blocked punt.

@St Louis: How in the world did we allow these Rams to score 34 points? Oh yeah, our defense let Steven "I don't know where the fucking endzone is" Jackson score twice in the first quarter and blow right past them all game for 160 rush yards. Our defense blew this one in the first quarter and Brad never had the chance to win it. With the ugly way we beat Tampa the following week I know we should've won this one as well.

@Pittsburgh: We had this game won! We were up by 10 points with 9 minutes left in the 4th quarter and the Pittsburgh offense hadn't done anything all game. What happened? First a punt return to put the ball in field goal range, then 3& out and a TD drive and finally a pick-6 given up by Romo.

@Baltimore: Romo kept fighting and bringing us back in this one but the defense gave up the 77yd and 82yd TD runs to completely blow our chances at a comeback. Way to go Romo's pinky.

@Philadelphia: We didn't even show up for this game. Maybe because of Romo's pinky.