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Houston rallies around its Texans -- especially against the Cowboys
Posted Sunday, Sep. 26, 2010
By Randy Galloway
rgalloway@star-telegram.com
HOUSTON -- Word on the street is now the police reportedly will be heavily involved in today's game.
Legitimate speculation centers around the Cowboys finally being arrested for impersonating a football team, bada bada boom.
But no, really. Sources here say the Houston PD will increase parking lot patrols around Reliant Stadium because, during an exhibition game in August, there were ugly confrontations between Texans fans, and fans of THE team in the state of Texas.
Well, at least somebody wearing a Cowboys jersey is apparently willing to get physical, even if it's a tailgater.
This stuff is so typical Houston, meaning not from a parking lot violence standpoint, but from a football loyalty point of view.
Go back forever, even to the Luv Ya Blue days of the Oilers, and the festering local debate centered on one question.
Are there more Cowboys fans in Houston than...
Then it was the Oilers, now it's the Texans?
But what even Bum, Earl and them couldn't do, apparently Wade has done.
The Cowboys, surveys say, have lost Houston in the popularity poll.
Losing on the field to Houston today, based on current circumstances, could well chart a course where the Cowboys eventually lose Texas, too, as far-fetched as that may seem.
It's not just about the conflicting records after two games, and the CowSheep will scream that the Texans, at 2-0, still remain a long way from winning their first playoff game ever.
But since the Texans sprang to NFL life nine seasons ago, the Cowboys have won exactly once in the postseason. The CowSheep don't have a mouthing advantage when it comes to a debate over postseason fortunes.
What the Texans will put out there today compares almost dead even with the Cowboys in talent on both sides of the ball. Because of league PED violations, two key Houston players won't even be involved because of league suspensions, leading to speculation it's a club with an advantage in more ways than talent.
But any team the Cowboys can't out-talent -- so far, they've lost to two clubs with less talent -- will almost always have an advantage in one key area:
Organizational stability.
The lines of authority are defined in Houston. The owner is the owner, the general manager is the GM, the head coach is the...
Jerry Jones is all of the above, except for the title of head coach, but can we really be sure he's not?
After the Washington loss to open the season, a guy e-mailed, angry at the local media for not providing the "inside" story on what's wrong at Valley Ranch. I laughed.
There is nothing "inside" about a dysfunctional organization, one with a weak head coach in terms of authority and personality, and an owner with an ego larger than his common sense.
A divide between the head coach and the offensive coordinator seemed obvious after the loss in Washington, and granted, I don't know how serious that rift is, or even if there is a personal rift. But Jerry created that Wade-Garrett divide by the way the hiring of both was handled, then the equal paychecks, and so on.
If not at head coach, Wade was considered at least good in his area of expertise, the defense. Jason, not so much on the offensive side.
Then came the defensive collapse against the Bears, and another loss.
At the moment, both Wade and Garrett are incompetent, which doesn't exclude the players who fail to execute. But outside of Tony Romo, most of the players do get a free ride from criticism, mainly because media (me included) and fans are too busy bashing the Blunder Brothers -- Jerry, Wade and Jason.
For those who still consider the Cowboys alive and well in the 2010 season -- and that's not me, simply because there's no example of that thus far, and no excuse for there not being an example of that -- we can all agree that Houston today is the jumping on or jumping off point.
Win, and the fandom will have hope. Lose, and local interest in October will turn to the Rangers in the playoffs, although at the moment that's also a dismal prognosis.
Game-wise today, the Texans achieved a 2-0 start with offensive versatility, yin-yang stuffing the Colts with a run game and then staging a gallant comeback against the Redskins with the air game.
Where will the Cowboys' defense be today? It was so bad against the Bears, that's difficult to judge.
Meanwhile, Romo and the offense remain a complete failure when it comes to making touchdowns happen.
The Texans have a defense that was aired out by both Peyton Manning and Donovan McNabb. You would think that could happen today, but who knows what to think about the Cowboys' offense?
The Cowboys want this game to be their "New Orleans" of last December, which, in a way, is the highest compliment yet for the Texans, at least in this state, with all the bragging rights involved.
May the Reliant parking lots be peaceful today. But the last thing the Cowboys need is another peaceful afternoon of football surrender.
Randy Galloway can be heard 3-6 p.m. weekdays on Galloway & Co. on ESPN/103.3 FM.
Posted Sunday, Sep. 26, 2010
By Randy Galloway
rgalloway@star-telegram.com
HOUSTON -- Word on the street is now the police reportedly will be heavily involved in today's game.
Legitimate speculation centers around the Cowboys finally being arrested for impersonating a football team, bada bada boom.
But no, really. Sources here say the Houston PD will increase parking lot patrols around Reliant Stadium because, during an exhibition game in August, there were ugly confrontations between Texans fans, and fans of THE team in the state of Texas.
Well, at least somebody wearing a Cowboys jersey is apparently willing to get physical, even if it's a tailgater.
This stuff is so typical Houston, meaning not from a parking lot violence standpoint, but from a football loyalty point of view.
Go back forever, even to the Luv Ya Blue days of the Oilers, and the festering local debate centered on one question.
Are there more Cowboys fans in Houston than...
Then it was the Oilers, now it's the Texans?
But what even Bum, Earl and them couldn't do, apparently Wade has done.
The Cowboys, surveys say, have lost Houston in the popularity poll.
Losing on the field to Houston today, based on current circumstances, could well chart a course where the Cowboys eventually lose Texas, too, as far-fetched as that may seem.
It's not just about the conflicting records after two games, and the CowSheep will scream that the Texans, at 2-0, still remain a long way from winning their first playoff game ever.
But since the Texans sprang to NFL life nine seasons ago, the Cowboys have won exactly once in the postseason. The CowSheep don't have a mouthing advantage when it comes to a debate over postseason fortunes.
What the Texans will put out there today compares almost dead even with the Cowboys in talent on both sides of the ball. Because of league PED violations, two key Houston players won't even be involved because of league suspensions, leading to speculation it's a club with an advantage in more ways than talent.
But any team the Cowboys can't out-talent -- so far, they've lost to two clubs with less talent -- will almost always have an advantage in one key area:
Organizational stability.
The lines of authority are defined in Houston. The owner is the owner, the general manager is the GM, the head coach is the...
Jerry Jones is all of the above, except for the title of head coach, but can we really be sure he's not?
After the Washington loss to open the season, a guy e-mailed, angry at the local media for not providing the "inside" story on what's wrong at Valley Ranch. I laughed.
There is nothing "inside" about a dysfunctional organization, one with a weak head coach in terms of authority and personality, and an owner with an ego larger than his common sense.
A divide between the head coach and the offensive coordinator seemed obvious after the loss in Washington, and granted, I don't know how serious that rift is, or even if there is a personal rift. But Jerry created that Wade-Garrett divide by the way the hiring of both was handled, then the equal paychecks, and so on.
If not at head coach, Wade was considered at least good in his area of expertise, the defense. Jason, not so much on the offensive side.
Then came the defensive collapse against the Bears, and another loss.
At the moment, both Wade and Garrett are incompetent, which doesn't exclude the players who fail to execute. But outside of Tony Romo, most of the players do get a free ride from criticism, mainly because media (me included) and fans are too busy bashing the Blunder Brothers -- Jerry, Wade and Jason.
For those who still consider the Cowboys alive and well in the 2010 season -- and that's not me, simply because there's no example of that thus far, and no excuse for there not being an example of that -- we can all agree that Houston today is the jumping on or jumping off point.
Win, and the fandom will have hope. Lose, and local interest in October will turn to the Rangers in the playoffs, although at the moment that's also a dismal prognosis.
Game-wise today, the Texans achieved a 2-0 start with offensive versatility, yin-yang stuffing the Colts with a run game and then staging a gallant comeback against the Redskins with the air game.
Where will the Cowboys' defense be today? It was so bad against the Bears, that's difficult to judge.
Meanwhile, Romo and the offense remain a complete failure when it comes to making touchdowns happen.
The Texans have a defense that was aired out by both Peyton Manning and Donovan McNabb. You would think that could happen today, but who knows what to think about the Cowboys' offense?
The Cowboys want this game to be their "New Orleans" of last December, which, in a way, is the highest compliment yet for the Texans, at least in this state, with all the bragging rights involved.
May the Reliant parking lots be peaceful today. But the last thing the Cowboys need is another peaceful afternoon of football surrender.
Randy Galloway can be heard 3-6 p.m. weekdays on Galloway & Co. on ESPN/103.3 FM.
