C
Cr122
Guest
Gosselin: 'Cowboys wear the crown as king of the 2010 flops'
Posted at 12:00 PM on Fri., Nov. 5, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
SportsDayDFW sports Bio | E-mail | News tips
The Dallas Morning News NFL beat writer Rick Gosselin answered your Cowboys questions in a chat Thursday. Here are some highlights.
On which team is a bigger surprise flop: 49ers or Cowboys:
The 49ers expected to win the NFC West and advance to the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons. The Cowboys expected to win the NFC and advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in 15 seasons. Judge success or failure based on a team's aspirations. The Cowboys aspired to win a Super Bowl on their home field and felt they had the team to do it. The 2010 season would be boom or bust. Unfortunately, this season went bust even before Halloween. So the Cowboys wear the crown as king of the 2010 flops.
On the possibility of the Cowboys turning things around quickly:
I've seen the 1999 St. Louis Rams go from worst to first -- from 4-12 and last place in the NFC West in 1998 to 13-3 and a Super Bowl championship. I saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win a Super Bowl in 2002 and then collapse to 7-9 in 2003. Less than half the teams repeat as division champions each season, and less than half repeat as playoff teams. So teams are constantly passing each other on elevator going up and down. I'm sure folks in Dallas today think it's quicker to see a team die than to resurrect after watching the Cowboys this fall. Folks in Kansas City see it the other way -- it's quicker to see a team rise from the ashes as the Chiefs have done with their 5-2 start. This from a franchise that was 2-14 in 2008 and 4-12 in 2009. On a positive note, no one seems to stay down too long -- nor do they stay on top too long. It's what parity breeds. And frankly, I'm in favor of parity. I like it when the fan bases of all 32 teams think they have a shot at winning a championship. It makes for more competitive Sunday afternoons.
On which players won't be coming back next year:
You're going to find out in the next nine weeks. The Cowboys are no longer playing for a Super Bowl in 2010 -- these Cowboys are playing for their jobs in 2011. If this season continues down this dreadful path, I would think there will be wholesale changes both on the coaching staff and the team roster. This team came into the season with the talent to win a division, conference and league championship. For whatever reason, it has underachieved. You can blame the coaches, you can blame the players, you can blame the general manager -- you can blame anyone and everyone and be on the mark. Underachievement cannot be accepted by an owner who is asking his fans to pay $150,000 for PSLs and hundreds of dollars more for tickets. The fans deserve better. The Cowboys have had crowds of 90,000 this season. There won't be 90,000 in the stands next season if Jones opts for the status quo. This team neads an overhaul and I believe we'll see one in 2011. Players can show Jones in these next nine weeks if they want to be part of the rebuilding process. The players who show some heart will be back in 2011.
On who has a better chance of coaching the Cowboys: Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden:
I think Gruden has a shot. Working with a quarterback like Tony Romo and a franchise like the Cowboys might be attractive to him. Gruden had someone else calling the personnel shots in Oakland and Tampa Bay so he might be able to adapt to a GM like Jerry. It all depends how desperately he wants back in. I also think Mike Zimmer would be attractive. Jerry knows him, likes him, is comfortable with him. More importantly, Zimmer already knows how the building operates. He's a non-nonsense guy and that's exactly what this team needs -- someone to hold each and every player accountable. He did that at Cincinnati and inside of two seasons was fielding a Top 10 defense.
On any chance on the Cowboys trading down to acquire more picks:
You win championships with your blue chip draft picks. What the Cowboys don't need is more quantity, they need more quality. When you trade out of the first round, you leave a blue-chipper behind. I've never been a fan of trading down. There have been times I felt the Cowboys have traded out of a pick just for the sake of trading out. Stay there and take the best player and you'll build a better roster and a better team
Posted at 12:00 PM on Fri., Nov. 5, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
SportsDayDFW sports Bio | E-mail | News tips
The Dallas Morning News NFL beat writer Rick Gosselin answered your Cowboys questions in a chat Thursday. Here are some highlights.
On which team is a bigger surprise flop: 49ers or Cowboys:
The 49ers expected to win the NFC West and advance to the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons. The Cowboys expected to win the NFC and advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in 15 seasons. Judge success or failure based on a team's aspirations. The Cowboys aspired to win a Super Bowl on their home field and felt they had the team to do it. The 2010 season would be boom or bust. Unfortunately, this season went bust even before Halloween. So the Cowboys wear the crown as king of the 2010 flops.
On the possibility of the Cowboys turning things around quickly:
I've seen the 1999 St. Louis Rams go from worst to first -- from 4-12 and last place in the NFC West in 1998 to 13-3 and a Super Bowl championship. I saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win a Super Bowl in 2002 and then collapse to 7-9 in 2003. Less than half the teams repeat as division champions each season, and less than half repeat as playoff teams. So teams are constantly passing each other on elevator going up and down. I'm sure folks in Dallas today think it's quicker to see a team die than to resurrect after watching the Cowboys this fall. Folks in Kansas City see it the other way -- it's quicker to see a team rise from the ashes as the Chiefs have done with their 5-2 start. This from a franchise that was 2-14 in 2008 and 4-12 in 2009. On a positive note, no one seems to stay down too long -- nor do they stay on top too long. It's what parity breeds. And frankly, I'm in favor of parity. I like it when the fan bases of all 32 teams think they have a shot at winning a championship. It makes for more competitive Sunday afternoons.
On which players won't be coming back next year:
You're going to find out in the next nine weeks. The Cowboys are no longer playing for a Super Bowl in 2010 -- these Cowboys are playing for their jobs in 2011. If this season continues down this dreadful path, I would think there will be wholesale changes both on the coaching staff and the team roster. This team came into the season with the talent to win a division, conference and league championship. For whatever reason, it has underachieved. You can blame the coaches, you can blame the players, you can blame the general manager -- you can blame anyone and everyone and be on the mark. Underachievement cannot be accepted by an owner who is asking his fans to pay $150,000 for PSLs and hundreds of dollars more for tickets. The fans deserve better. The Cowboys have had crowds of 90,000 this season. There won't be 90,000 in the stands next season if Jones opts for the status quo. This team neads an overhaul and I believe we'll see one in 2011. Players can show Jones in these next nine weeks if they want to be part of the rebuilding process. The players who show some heart will be back in 2011.
On who has a better chance of coaching the Cowboys: Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden:
I think Gruden has a shot. Working with a quarterback like Tony Romo and a franchise like the Cowboys might be attractive to him. Gruden had someone else calling the personnel shots in Oakland and Tampa Bay so he might be able to adapt to a GM like Jerry. It all depends how desperately he wants back in. I also think Mike Zimmer would be attractive. Jerry knows him, likes him, is comfortable with him. More importantly, Zimmer already knows how the building operates. He's a non-nonsense guy and that's exactly what this team needs -- someone to hold each and every player accountable. He did that at Cincinnati and inside of two seasons was fielding a Top 10 defense.
On any chance on the Cowboys trading down to acquire more picks:
You win championships with your blue chip draft picks. What the Cowboys don't need is more quantity, they need more quality. When you trade out of the first round, you leave a blue-chipper behind. I've never been a fan of trading down. There have been times I felt the Cowboys have traded out of a pick just for the sake of trading out. Stay there and take the best player and you'll build a better roster and a better team