February, 7, 2011
By Calvin Watkins
The 2010 season is now over thanks to the Packers win over the Steelers and we got some random thoughts on what we saw on Sunday and throughout the week.
1. Tony Romo gets ripped a lot around here and I think it's unfair. To say Romo is a good quarterback is right. To say he's an elite quarterback isn't right. He's not there yet. Aaron Rodgers showed us at Cowboys Stadium what elite quarterbacks do: Win games in impressive fashion. Romo's injury set him back in 2010. He does have a talented group of players around him and we suspect things will be better for him in 2011. But Romo has to lead his team on a deep playoff run in 2011 if not, more questions will be raised.
2. Blame for the seating fiasco at Cowboys Stadium goes to the NFL and the city of Arlington. All of this should have been taken care of before you opened the doors on Sunday afternoon. We know the ice falling from the stadium on Friday was an important issue, but the lasting impression you gave close to 1,000 of the NFL's customers wasn't good. Roger Goodell did the right thing Monday morning by giving 400 fans tickets to next year's title game. Everything could have been avoided if the league and the city at made sure all the seats were in order.
3. The Packers lost 16 players to injured reserve and two of their best players, Donald Driver and Charles Woodson, to game-ending injuries in the Super Bowl. Still they reached the Super Bowl and eventually won it. Jason Garrett talks all the time about overcoming adversity. You saw a little bit of it in 2010 when the Cowboys overcame a 1-7 start, which lead to the firing of their coach, to finish 6-10. How the Cowboys handle adversity in 2011 will be something to watch.
4. It was a little strange going into the home locker room at Cowboys Stadium and seeing the Packers logo in the middle of the floor. You kept waiting to see Jerry Jones to walk through shaking hands with the players, but all you got was the smiling Packers.
"It was a fun night," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Monday morning. "I can't put into words the experience [in the] postgame locker room. But we had a party back at the hotel."
5. We know Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall had that critical fumble in the fourth quarter that eventually led to a Packers touchdowns was terrible. Prior to that Mendenhall, who finished with 63 yards on 14 carries, gave us a glimpse of what Marion Barber used to be and what the Cowboys need in Felix Jones. A physical back who breaks tackles and can get to the outside and gain yards. It doesn't matter who starts, Jones or Barber, but it needs to have more of a presence in 2011.
By Calvin Watkins
The 2010 season is now over thanks to the Packers win over the Steelers and we got some random thoughts on what we saw on Sunday and throughout the week.
1. Tony Romo gets ripped a lot around here and I think it's unfair. To say Romo is a good quarterback is right. To say he's an elite quarterback isn't right. He's not there yet. Aaron Rodgers showed us at Cowboys Stadium what elite quarterbacks do: Win games in impressive fashion. Romo's injury set him back in 2010. He does have a talented group of players around him and we suspect things will be better for him in 2011. But Romo has to lead his team on a deep playoff run in 2011 if not, more questions will be raised.
2. Blame for the seating fiasco at Cowboys Stadium goes to the NFL and the city of Arlington. All of this should have been taken care of before you opened the doors on Sunday afternoon. We know the ice falling from the stadium on Friday was an important issue, but the lasting impression you gave close to 1,000 of the NFL's customers wasn't good. Roger Goodell did the right thing Monday morning by giving 400 fans tickets to next year's title game. Everything could have been avoided if the league and the city at made sure all the seats were in order.
3. The Packers lost 16 players to injured reserve and two of their best players, Donald Driver and Charles Woodson, to game-ending injuries in the Super Bowl. Still they reached the Super Bowl and eventually won it. Jason Garrett talks all the time about overcoming adversity. You saw a little bit of it in 2010 when the Cowboys overcame a 1-7 start, which lead to the firing of their coach, to finish 6-10. How the Cowboys handle adversity in 2011 will be something to watch.
4. It was a little strange going into the home locker room at Cowboys Stadium and seeing the Packers logo in the middle of the floor. You kept waiting to see Jerry Jones to walk through shaking hands with the players, but all you got was the smiling Packers.
"It was a fun night," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Monday morning. "I can't put into words the experience [in the] postgame locker room. But we had a party back at the hotel."
5. We know Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall had that critical fumble in the fourth quarter that eventually led to a Packers touchdowns was terrible. Prior to that Mendenhall, who finished with 63 yards on 14 carries, gave us a glimpse of what Marion Barber used to be and what the Cowboys need in Felix Jones. A physical back who breaks tackles and can get to the outside and gain yards. It doesn't matter who starts, Jones or Barber, but it needs to have more of a presence in 2011.
