Chicken Little Suits Up
So much for 16-0.
Your Dallas Cowboys have been playing football since 1960. After Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars , poof, another chance at an undefeated season wasted. Here in Dallas, of course, the local NFL team doesn't play 16 games, but more like 16 seasons, each to be digested and dissected ad nauseam. So today, on knee-jerk Monday, let's get to hidin', because the sky is definitely falling.
Quarterback Drew Bledsoe looked more ridiculous than Fox's animated robot thingy. Our idiot kicker--not Mike Vanderjagt, but the other one, Shaun Suisham--missed a chip-shot field goal. And the Cowboys had 13 mistakes: nine penalties, three interceptions and one doink off the upright. All of this, of course, I lay at the considerable feet of coach Bill Parcells, who neither had his team prepared nor coached a good game.
In case you didn't notice, the Cowboys' first-round draft pick--Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter, taken 18th overall--wasn't even suited up. That means he wasn't among Dallas' 45 best players, while free-agent Oliver Hoyte was. Hmm. And in the fourth quarter Parcells cost his team a precious timeout with a curious challenge that was tardy and, eventually, ignored. After a late score, the Cowboys had to try an onsides kick because of their lack of three timeouts. Said Parcells afterward, "Too many mistakes. Just didn't concentrate well enough at the right time."
But there was good news: In his Cowboys debut Terrell Owens caught six passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. So even though his team lost, he's happy. At least for another week.--Richie Whitt
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