Cowboys Coach Now Just Plain Embarrassing
Mayday. Mayday. Come in, Norman, Okla. This is Dallas calling. This is an emergency. Do you copy, Norman?
Come get him … pleeeze. Come get him Monday morning, bright and early. Load him up and take him home.
He’s your man, Norman. Do him a big favor. Get him out of here before its too late. For him and the Cowboys.
Yes, he’s always been in way over his NFL coaching head. You knew that. We knew that. But as of Sunday, something much worse has happened. Actually, several things much worse happened.
Hear us out on this, Norman.
The collapse of the Jerry-Barry football empire officially reached the crisis stage on a frigid afternoon at The Vet. Together they stand, owner and coach, while the Cowboys, as a team, disintegrate into an uninspired, lifeless loser.
Normally, Norman, it would be proper to describe what happened here Sunday as a fitting tribute to Barry’s boss, the man who desperately wants to be king of the football world. Instead, Jerry Jones is on the verge of being elected Fool-of-the-Year in the NFL.
But in Norman, of course, your concern is over Barry. I understand. Unfortunately, however, I have real bad news.
Not only did the Cowboys lose a game they absolutely had to win Sunday, the head coach also made a national fool out of himself.
He made one incredibly stupid decision twice. From ESPN, to CNN, to the CIA, they will be laughing forever at Coach Switzer. Oh, for those glory days, when Barry could line ‘em up in the ‘bone and “go-for-it” against Iowa State. It always worked then, didn’t it, Norman?
But here in the big leagues, when your team is struggling, and it’s colder than a polar bear’s butt, the worst coaching call imaginable is to give a feisty underdog any sort of edge.
In a tie game late in the fourth quarter, you always play for time and field position and pray your superior talent will finally overcome their grit, their momentum and their frenzied fans.
Time and field position - that’s the most basic of blueprints for the great teams. And, of course, the Cowboys were once just that - a great team.
Instead, Switzer elected to take the kind of gamble, twice, that should have gotten him fired on the spot.
Jones, however, has his entire reputation tied into the hiring of Switzer, who was one of 500 coaches Jerry said could continue to take the Cowboys to world championships.
A month ago, it was also Jones who vowed Switzer would be back next season unless he was “hit by a truck or shot.”
Based on the Eagles by 20-17, let the record show a hit-and-run 18-wheeler and a bull’s-eye bullet struck Switzer and the Cowboys.
The immediate ramifications are obviously huge. With two games to play, home-field advantage in the playoffs has been lost to, yipes, the 49ers. And December, the month of champions, has now opened with consecutive losses to mediocre teams.
If the Cowboys are going to win the Super Bowl, they have obviously mapped out a secret back-door route. And winning the Super Bowl is the only way Switzer can preserve any coaching dignity, if he had any to start with.
Otherwise, his fourth-down decision on Dec. 10 in Philadelphia, Pa., will stamp him forever in Cowboys history as the clown in the cold.
Fourth down and one yard from the Dallas 29 with just over 2 minutes to play in a 17-17 game - Switzer said he went for it because he didn’t want to kick into the wind. Huh? The wind was stiff, but not exactly a hurricane. Switzer said he went for it because if not, the Eagles were going to come back and kick a field goal to win. Which, of course, the Eagles did anyway, after being gifted with field-position heaven.
With the Dallas offense nonexistent after a 17-6 halftime lead, the Cowboys had to hope the Eagles, sooner or later, would crack. Again, they had to be playing for time and field position.
But then Switzer said “go.” The play from Ernie Zampese was “load left.” Emmitt Smith was “leveled left.” He didn’t make the line of scrimmage, but was saved by the referees saying the 2-minute timeout was reached before the snap.
Given the opportunity to think about it, Switzer still said, “go.” Same play. Same result. Eagles’ ball. Barry, you’re immediately fired by any owner in the league other than Jones.
Afterward, Jones said he backed Switzer on the call. Said he agreed with it and would have done the same thing himself. Two great football minds thinking as one.
The Cowboys received an inspired defensive performance Sunday, but had a total offensive meltdown in the second half. The “triplets” were trumped. As a trio, Troy, Emmitt and Michael have never been so harmless. Neither has the offensive line.
Dressed out in their “Ed Norton jerseys” - a vest over a white T-shirt - the Cowboys faced one of those fourth-quarter challenges that separates the NFL sewer workers from the Super Bowl contenders.
With this failure, comes huge doubts about this team, including doubt from within. With Switzer’s blunder, comes no mercy.
Come get him, Norman. He’s all yours. And while you’re at it, take Jerry with you, too, OK?
The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Randy Galloway Dallas Morning News