Time to Clean House (A Chargers/Cowboys Lament)

An expression that I've sadly grown accustomed to.

So another season ends. The Chargers are home. The Cowboys got their hearts ripped out once again. 3 straight years that I haven't seen a playoff game involving one of my squads. Ironically it hasn't happened since I quit being a full-time newspaper guy.

Reality is I've been rooting for two teams that have been impossibly hard to be confident in. The Chargers went from an explosive offense to a team that can barely run the ball and watch Philip Rivers erode from great to average. The Cowboys? A total waste of talent and cursed by injuries and inconsistency.

Football Wrap Week 7 (Death of A Season)

I hate writing eulogies. I already did one earlier this year for the Dodgers and now I have to write another for a season that is officially in the ground (with another possibly on the horizon in San Diego).

Forget another blog jocking Auburn, UCLA getting curbstomped by the Eugene Ducky Boys, the Saints missing Reggie, the BCS acting ugly, my fantasy successes or Brett Favre showing his true, selfish colors if he plays Sunday. I present. The Death. Of the Cowboys.

With a heavy heart, I announce this. Seasons usually don't die before the midpoint but they do when you suffer a bonecrushing loss. They die when you find new ways to lose every week and still get shocked at how low it still gets. Case in point - the preseason Super Bowl favorites.

We lost to the Redskins on a holding penalty. We lost to the Vikings with a slew of penalties to negate our efforts. We lost to Tennessee despite Tony Romo having 400 yards and Felix Jones rushing over 100. Just when   you think it can't get any worse, Monday Comes Around (c) Switchfoot

I left work with the Cowboys holding a 14-7 lead and went nuts in the car as Dez Bryant took it 90 yards to the house for a huge lead. Turns out that it was the last sign of life from a dying man. Next thing I know, the Midgets scored three times in the next 8 minutes and it wouldn't stop until the end. That's right. A 31-point response in Cowboys Stadium that ripped the heart out of every fan.

It was death by public execution. Losing despite forcing 5 turnovers. And seeing this sight after the game didn't help....

Yep. Tony Romo's possibly done for the season. Broken left clavicle. They took out my quarterback. My quarterback. Sniff, sniff. (c) Terrell Owens

All the preseason hype in the world couldn't overcome a lack of discipline and terrible on-field decisions. It couldn't overcome Wade Phillips looking more lost like a kid given a Maserati despite just getting his license or Jason Garrett showing why he was a 3rd-string QB with his terrible playcalling.

There's no reason that a team with Tony Romo, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant (3 total TD's Monday), DeMarcus Ware, Felix Jones, Marion Barber should be in this position. It all comes down to coaching and finding ways to win. Romo has shown more often than not that he's becoming a better quarterback despite his Brett Favre tendencies.

And watching all of this is Jerry Jones. The man who is 15 years removed from our last title. The man who's ego has kept him from hiring a great coach. Think about it. After Jimmy Johnson was forced out because he wouldn't bow down to Jerry Jones, we've hired Barry Switzer, Chan Gailey, Dave Campo and sent Bill Parcells to retirement.

(This pic says it all about Jerry's sense of self-importance)

The most storied franchise in the NFL has had average coaches running the ship. Why? Because the only star in Dallas is the owner. Jerry Jones doesn't want any competition. He undermined arguably the most underrated coaching star of the last 3 decades and replaced him with ordinary guys who were out of their element. In Parcells' case, he wasn't given room to breathe and do the magic he usually does.

And this is why the Dallas dynasty died. Had he never fired Jimmy Johnson, the Cowboys would've won 4 straight Super Bowls and drafted players to keep the team going. But no, he has to be the star. The Cowboys stadium is a monument to his excess, his brilliance. His version of Nebuchadnezzar's statue that looks gold from afar but has been crushed by a boulder.

It's beyond stupid. When Wade Phillips is finally canned, Jerry needs to get over himself and do what's best for the franchise. Stop seeing the dollars rolling in from merchandise and start validating it with a team worthy of respect. Go talk to Bill Cowher or somebody with discipline and a proven track record and get an OC who can develop our players.

(For more on Jerry, check this post from last year celebrating his 20th anniversary as owner)

A dead season is upon us. I know Jon Kitna is a great guy but unless he captures magic in a bottle, there's no reason to watch except out of pure loyalty. Chargers fans, we need a win next week or I'll be writing something similar calling for pounds of flesh to repay us for a lost season.

VSR (20 Years of Jerry Jones in Big D)

This is dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones running the show. I’ll touch on that later, first a message to my Lakers brethren.

Repeat after me, DO. NOT. PANIC. Let’s take a close look at this 2-game losing streak. A loss to Denver came after the Lakers arrived at 4 a.m., got tired in the 4th quarter and fell victim to one of the best defensive performances Denver has had since Carmelo Anthony arrived in 2002 – the latter will never happen again under George Karl, watch. Then losing to Phoenix on the road – well, consider that Shaq played out of his mind, everyone gives up buckets to Phoenix on the road and Leandro Barbosa is just as dangerous as Steve Nash because he’s quicker and is harder to stop in transition (remind me why I kicked him off my ESPN fantasy team despite a bad start)

Any worries you have need only to be erased by looking at the standings. The Lakers are so far ahead in the Western Conference that we need a road map to find the No. 2 team 7.5 games back. We’re only thinking about the Eastern Conference and making sure we stay No. 1 overall (1/2 game ahead of the Cleveland).

By the way, I’m happy that Shaq has found the Fountain of Youth. 45 points two games ago, 33 against the Lakers…and I believe Chris “RuPaul” Bosh needs to worry about being outshined by an old man. Shaq’s punchlines >>>> Charles Hamilton’s punchlines.

If Russell Westbrook doesn't make the All-Rookie Team, something is wrong (or it's because D-Rose and Mayo locked up the guard spots): Triple-double last night, a near triple double against the Lakers before the AS break. 3 years ago, this guy was offered a last minute scholarship by UCLA thanks to Jordan Farmar leaving. This kid has amazing heart and drive and watch him wind up leading the resurgence in OKC with Kevin Durant (who's playing like an All-NBA 2nd or 3rd teamer)

Who’s ready to go dancing? *raises hand like a Ridelin-addicted 5-year-old* It’s almost time for me to be checked in the insane asylum as a victim of March Madness.

I won’t be at the Pac-10 Tournament this year thanks to the Southern California High School State Regional Tournament happening the same week. But if UCLA faces Arizona State or Washington, they need to play like they did at Cal/Stanford to even think about winning. Right now I have them as a 4 or 5 seed…win the tournament and maybe they’re a solid No. 4 with an outside chance at No. 3.

If I had to pick ‘em today….the No. 1 seeds would be UConn, Oklahoma, North Carolina and…Memphis?? By default, I guess the Tigers end up there but anything is possible in the conference tournaments. UNC still has to deal with my Duke boys on Sunday looking for revenge to ruin Psycho T and Danny Green’s Senior Day. But first, they gotta worry about keeping Ty Lawson from carving them up.

The Patriots trading Matt Cassel means several things: 1) Tom Brady will be fine by Opening Day, 2) Kansas City will be the new New England thanks to Scott Pioli running the show, 3) Another excuse for the SF Valley to feel proud*….bah. I’m happy the Cowboys got Jon Kitna as a back-up…he’s a good guy with good character and somebody that Tony Romo can learn from as far as leadership.

*by the way, Cleveland HS' cheerleading squad >>>>> every cheer squad I have seen except for Crenshaw and Inglewood HS. By that I mean, dance moves, music choice and versatility during their halftime routine. But Crenshaw and Inglewood's bands >>>>> everyone else.

Speaking of the ‘Boys, it’s been 20 years since Jerry Jones bought the team so for better or worse, let me run down the best/worst things of the era (aided partly by Jeff Pearlman’s brilliant “Boys Will Be Boys”)

Best of the Era
1. 3 Super Bowls in 4 years - duh
2. Trading Herschel Walker for essentially those 3 Super Bowls (and Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson and Russell Maryland via New England)
3. Jimmy Johnson era (not just the wins but the discipline and the attitude that reinvigorated a franchise)
4. Bringing in Deion Sanders to shut down Jerry Rice and clinch that 3rd Super Bowl (sense a trend?)
5. Drafting DeMarcus Ware (arguably the best draft pick made during this low stretch for us)

Worst of the Era
1. Kicking out Tom Landry like a dog
2. Nothing notable happening since 1998 – a 13-3 season in 2007 but lose in the playoffs to the Giants.
3. Getting big-headed and kicking out Jimmy Johnson. This cost the Cowboys another title as the discipline Johnson brought would’ve defeated the 49ers and then crushed the Chargers in the Super Bowl.
4. You go from Jimmy and Barry Switzer to….Chan Gailey and Dave Campo??? No wonder we ain’t won crap since I was in junior high.
5. Being a control-freak.

6. Michael Irvin's last game ending on a stretcher (I'll never forgive Philly fans for cheering)

It’s hard being a Cowboys fan. We’re still living off the glory years and haven’t seen a successful home-grown offensive threat in years (although Romo, Barber and Felix Jones may prove me wrong). All we want is a playoff victory next year to kick off our new stadium. Is that too hard to ask Jerry? Because we definitely didn't close out the old one in style...

I like Jerry Jones. Under his watch, I became the Cowboys fan I am today. But as I came of age, it became harder to watch without knowing it can be better. Here’s hoping the next decade is more like the first and not the last.