As my great-aunt on my mother’s side, Wilma Fingerdoo, used to say, “Whether it’s chocolate cheesecake or crap covered nuts, you have to eat what life gives you.”
Yes, I’m cheating and playing both sides of the fence. For the last two-plus weeks or more, the battle has raged on about the Cowboys continuing to play to make the playoffs, or tank the rest of the season for the highest possible draft pick.
Come this night, when our beloved Cowboys travel to FedEx field, the question of the playoffs and most likely draft position will more than likely be answered. A win and Dallas is one game back. A loss and we’re sitting at 3-9 with a firm hold on at least a top-five pick.
Myself? I’m still torn between both. Do I believe the playoffs are out of reach? Yes, I do. I have no faith whatsoever in Matt Cassel, or what the Cowboys offense can bring with him as the quarterback.
Do I want the Cowboys to tank? Hell no. It doesn’t matter if it’s sports, raising a child, or cleaning toilets at Walmart to make a paycheck, one should always take pride in one’s job. Tanking is out of the question.
While I’m not opposed to letting the young guys get a chance to see what they may be able to bring, I also believe that you put the best players on the field who give you the best chance at victory. That’s the coach’s decision not mine, not yours.
We may not agree with all the choices made from the Cowboys brass, but it’s our duty as fans to support the team come hell or high water, no matter the outcome.
Agree or disagree? Feel free to let me know your thoughts or feelings in the comments below.
Couldn't agree more! The draft is a crap shoot. I waste hours every week watching draft breakdown on these players coming up and I think the difference between pick 4 and 12 is small. The QBs in this draft are not very good. Trust the staff, develop players and let the 53 playing remember that they can win.
You are spot on! Every week we have to go out and take no prisoners. There were some good signs tonight and yet was a bit baffled by our inability to run behind what was supposed to be the best O-line in the league, against a vulnerable Washington defense. Though McFadden has had some good games and before this week, we ranked 7th in rushing, this line is not the same as last year. That would point to the difference being DeMarco and not the line. But I have maintained all season the loss of Bill Callan cannot be forgotten. Good things tonight….DeMarcus Lawrence played very well, Sean Lee looked awesome, there was a Nick Hayden sighting, and Jason Witten continues to show why he is one of the best TE's to play the game and why he is a first ballot HOF'er.
I'd have to say its more about Bill Callan then is is not having Murray
I lose a lot of respect for any fan who suggests the Cowboys "tank" the season.
If you tank a season by benching your star players in a deliberate attempt to lose games, you'd might as well fire the entire coaching staff after the season and, frankly, rebuild your entire roster.
Think about it: Coaches hammer a winning mentality into these players' brains constantly. It's all about "never give up," and "finish the fight," etc etc. These players don't care anything about getting the #1 draft pick. They want to beat their opponents because that's their job. How can you ever trust the same players again once you've ended that mantra and basically told them it's okay to lose? And how much respect do you think these players will have for their coaching staff in that scenario? It's the kind of thing that kills a locker room.
I also have game integrity issues with tanking. The league designed the salary cap and the draft order to achieve the highest level of parity in the league. Tanking circumvents that system and honestly if there was a way to prove it, I'd be 100% okay with the NFL stripping that team of it's first round pick for being caught tanking.
Just my 2 cents. Win the games you can win. That's why we watch this sport.
Maybe it's the business/accounting side of me, but I can easily get behind the tanking philosophy.
Let's face it, nobody really cares about victories for the sake of victories. Wins are only worth what they mean towards building your entry into the playoffs. Once that's off the table, you're just costing yourself draft positioning.
That said, there's a difference between throwing games and simply not going ALL OUT to win. You can utilize bench players more and experiment with your playbook without intentionally sabotaging. Your remaining games can become an even better form of practice and development than the preseason; most teams will be giving you your best. What better time to evaluate some young talent and see whose worth keeping around in the offseason?
The "integrity of the game" argument doesn't resonate much with me. Every year there are teams who benefit from having a bunch of softies on their schedule. Maybe they're in a weak division, or maybe they catch several teams with injuries or locker room problems. Maybe you're facing a team who habitually, year after year, doesn't spend their cap dollars because the owners are cheap. What's another team deciding not to try that hard during their last 4-6 games? Does it really imbalance anything?
Realistically, does anyone feel that much better about a 7-9 season than a 4-12 season? Maybe a little, but what about the difference between having a Top 5 draft pick versus one in the 10-16 range? Which energizes your fanbase more?
Well there is a difference between deliberately trying to lose games and giving developmental players a harder look because you're mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Although when your hope is to lose football games, it's still a poor strategy from so many different vantage points.
Integrity is a real issue. What happens if every team employs this strategy? I went through the NFL standings just now and counted 14 teams in a position similar to the Cowboys. Either their record is as bad or worse than the Cowboys or they were at least 3 games behind the division leader and not in realistic position for a Wild Card spot. How enjoyable would the next month of football be for everybody if 14 teams were "tanking," trying to compete for a better draft pick? What happens if teams started making this decision earlier in the season if/when it just became clear that they can't compete with the top teams and thus they're better off shooting for that top draft talent? Don't you figure at some point the fans would just get fed up and find something else to do with their time?
And again, there is something to be said for losing your locker room. Not only do players have no desire to tank since they are paid for individual performance, but you're still mucking with their minds and their egos when you start giving them the message (overtly or otherwise) that it's okay to lose.
Play Kellen Moore for a couple games if/when we're eliminated. Give Rod Smith some carries, etc. But do those things because there's a legitimate chance they might actually be better than the players they're replacing. Don't shut down Dez Bryant to shield him from injury, or Sean Lee, etc. That's the difference between tanking and just having a long-term perspective for your personnel.
As for me personally? The Cowboys may be bad this season, but I am pretty damn proud of how they continue to fight. For me, that's a mentality that will take them to a Super Bowl very soon. Anything to jeopardize that "finish the fight" mentality that Garrett has instilled in this team is a dagger to their future prospects, as far as I'm concerned.