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Taylor: Defending Tony Romo, Jason Garrett and Jay Ratliff
Posted at 8:59 PM on Tue., Oct. 12, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
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Each week, Jean-Jacques Taylor answers your questions in our Cowboys newsletter.
It's easy to sign up and free to receive. Just click over to our newsletter page.
Some highlights of his most recent newsletter:
Martin Williams from Atlanta writes, "The offensive coordinator should have being fired after game one."
TAYLOR: I don't know that I'd go that far. This is such a weird team because the point total and win total almost never matches the production. Like, should we really rip Jason Garrett after the offense gains 511 yards with a 400-yard passer, a 100-yard runner and a 100-yard receiver? Three receivers had more than 80 yards, and he gave the ball to Felix Jones instead of Marion Barber for a change. This team is maddening, because there's a different culprit every week.
Erick Jaeger writes, "I'm sick of this team not having any emotion. I want our team to play with the fire that Tennessee displayed on Sunday."
TAYLOR: I understand your frustration, but that's such an easy cop-out. Playing poorly and making mistakes doesn't always coincide with a lack of emotion. If the Cowboys didn't care, they wouldn't have battled back from 17-3, 20-17 and 27-20. They would've just laid down after that dreadful first quarter. Plus, the biggest penalty in the game was a result of their exuberance over tying the score at 20-20.
Ira Haron wonders, "Why haven't I heard Jay Ratliff on the TV these days as much as the last two years? Is he bigger and slower like Felix Jones too?"
TAYLOR: I don't know. Maybe you're at the fridge getting a cold beverage whenever he makes a play. Tell you what, why don't you spend a quarter of a game *- it doesn't matter which one *- watching him play. You won't find a guy who plays any harder on this team. Watch how many times he'll get a piece of a tackle on a pass play. Do you know how much effort that takes?
Emerson Lattimore writes, "Based on his body of work on Sunday, Romo is in the vast middle of NFL QBs. You don't win many games when you have three interceptions. Romo, in my opinion, lacks two of the essentials to being an elite QB: arm strength and accuracy."
TAYLOR: It sounds like you have your mind made up. You can criticize a lot of things about Romo, but a lack of arm strength and accuracy aren't two of them. He's never had a completion percentage under 61.3, and he's never had a passer rating of less than 91.4. Is he the best? No. But if you think he's an average quarterback, then you should remember the days when Drew Bledsoe, Vinny Testaverde, Clint Stoerner, Quincy Carter, Anthony Wright and Drew Henson were taking snaps from center.
David A. Banister from Rhode Island writes, "The Cowboys most assuredly choreographed that spike celebration; watch the tape as Witten looks for that specific player to give him the ball. These guys are professionals and should know better. I don't remember Walter Payton ever dancing."
TAYLOR: There was no problem with Jason Witten giving Marc Colombo the ball to spike. Or with Colombo and Witten chest-bumping. What the NFL doesn't allow is for a player to hit the ground as a result of the celebration. The rules are clear. The problem occurred when Colombo fell to the ground as a result of the celebration. Essentially, his clumsiness cost the Cowboys 15 yards and set in motion the Titans' game-winning touchdown.
Ric Tedeschi from New York asks, "Did Wade Phillips choose to go with an unproven kicker? Did Wade choose to cut Ken Hamlin and go with an unproven, seventh-round pick who is a special teams player at best? Did Wade decide to cut Patrick Crayton, who was one of Tony Romo's favorite targets, just to save a measly $2 million?"
TAYLOR: There's some perception that Wade doesn't get to pick the team. Wade was OK with Buehler, or he wouldn't be the kicker. Jerry will let the coach pick his team, if the coach goes to bat for a player, but the coach must have the gumption to do it. Hamlin was awful his last two years here. Ogletree replaced Crayton on the roster. I see he's contributed quite a bit.
Posted at 8:59 PM on Tue., Oct. 12, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
SportsDayDFW sports Bio | E-mail | News tips
Each week, Jean-Jacques Taylor answers your questions in our Cowboys newsletter.
It's easy to sign up and free to receive. Just click over to our newsletter page.
Some highlights of his most recent newsletter:
Martin Williams from Atlanta writes, "The offensive coordinator should have being fired after game one."
TAYLOR: I don't know that I'd go that far. This is such a weird team because the point total and win total almost never matches the production. Like, should we really rip Jason Garrett after the offense gains 511 yards with a 400-yard passer, a 100-yard runner and a 100-yard receiver? Three receivers had more than 80 yards, and he gave the ball to Felix Jones instead of Marion Barber for a change. This team is maddening, because there's a different culprit every week.
Erick Jaeger writes, "I'm sick of this team not having any emotion. I want our team to play with the fire that Tennessee displayed on Sunday."
TAYLOR: I understand your frustration, but that's such an easy cop-out. Playing poorly and making mistakes doesn't always coincide with a lack of emotion. If the Cowboys didn't care, they wouldn't have battled back from 17-3, 20-17 and 27-20. They would've just laid down after that dreadful first quarter. Plus, the biggest penalty in the game was a result of their exuberance over tying the score at 20-20.
Ira Haron wonders, "Why haven't I heard Jay Ratliff on the TV these days as much as the last two years? Is he bigger and slower like Felix Jones too?"
TAYLOR: I don't know. Maybe you're at the fridge getting a cold beverage whenever he makes a play. Tell you what, why don't you spend a quarter of a game *- it doesn't matter which one *- watching him play. You won't find a guy who plays any harder on this team. Watch how many times he'll get a piece of a tackle on a pass play. Do you know how much effort that takes?
Emerson Lattimore writes, "Based on his body of work on Sunday, Romo is in the vast middle of NFL QBs. You don't win many games when you have three interceptions. Romo, in my opinion, lacks two of the essentials to being an elite QB: arm strength and accuracy."
TAYLOR: It sounds like you have your mind made up. You can criticize a lot of things about Romo, but a lack of arm strength and accuracy aren't two of them. He's never had a completion percentage under 61.3, and he's never had a passer rating of less than 91.4. Is he the best? No. But if you think he's an average quarterback, then you should remember the days when Drew Bledsoe, Vinny Testaverde, Clint Stoerner, Quincy Carter, Anthony Wright and Drew Henson were taking snaps from center.
David A. Banister from Rhode Island writes, "The Cowboys most assuredly choreographed that spike celebration; watch the tape as Witten looks for that specific player to give him the ball. These guys are professionals and should know better. I don't remember Walter Payton ever dancing."
TAYLOR: There was no problem with Jason Witten giving Marc Colombo the ball to spike. Or with Colombo and Witten chest-bumping. What the NFL doesn't allow is for a player to hit the ground as a result of the celebration. The rules are clear. The problem occurred when Colombo fell to the ground as a result of the celebration. Essentially, his clumsiness cost the Cowboys 15 yards and set in motion the Titans' game-winning touchdown.
Ric Tedeschi from New York asks, "Did Wade Phillips choose to go with an unproven kicker? Did Wade choose to cut Ken Hamlin and go with an unproven, seventh-round pick who is a special teams player at best? Did Wade decide to cut Patrick Crayton, who was one of Tony Romo's favorite targets, just to save a measly $2 million?"
TAYLOR: There's some perception that Wade doesn't get to pick the team. Wade was OK with Buehler, or he wouldn't be the kicker. Jerry will let the coach pick his team, if the coach goes to bat for a player, but the coach must have the gumption to do it. Hamlin was awful his last two years here. Ogletree replaced Crayton on the roster. I see he's contributed quite a bit.