First I must say great win Saturday night. Romo looked like the best QB in the NFL...the entire team as a matter of fact played like the best team in the NFC with one huge, notable exception which will be the focus of my article.
 
My entire family is from the New Orleans area and my mom and dad are in town this week to visit their new grandchild. So, I watched the game with them which was fun. We were good to go either way - if the Saints win history continues and the Cowboys get to talk about making some changes. If Dallas wins, it helps them get into the playoffs and takes the perfect season pressure off the Saints...
 
At one point towards the end of the game my mom asked me "who in the world has Dallas lost to?" with the kind of tone emphasising that there should be no way this team has lost 5 games this season. It was a good point but then when they saw that we couldn't make a 24 yard field goal to ice the game they understood - only crappy teams tolerate horrible kicking like that.
 
Did anyone see the warmup montage they showed right before Folk's attempt?  Things are worse then we ever imagined - his kicks were all over the place and the announcer even noted "and that is with nooone rushing him". I knew, I absolutely knew at that point he would miss the field goal. I even told me dad "he will miss this..." and you know the rest.
 
Dallas has a serious issue that needs to be addressed and it is in the area of talent evaluation and decisions based on said evaluations. I am in a writing mood so I will take you on a bit of a journey here...I will take you back to last year in preseason...
 
Last preseason after watching the first few games I wrote a short article stating that I thought Brad Johnson couldn't play anymore and if Romo got hurt we would be in serious trouble. This wasn't just an opinion - I backed it up with in game observations about what I saw defenses doing in the PRESEASON and knowing how they would play us in the regular season if it ever came to that. Most league scouts felt the same way but "voices within the Cowboys organization" said they thought Johnson was very capable and said he looked "great in practice".
 
Romo did get hurt, we did lose 2 out of 3 games in a crucial stretch and it severely affected our season.
 
I also wrote another article during that same preseason stating that of all people Miles Austin was the most improved receiver on the team and had star potential and needed to be declared the starter ASAP. Again, not just an opinion but I backed it up with in-game observations regarding technique. When Austin did get on the field last season he would make huge plays including long pass interference penalties because opposing defenders simply could not stay with him. I observed and wrote about the fact that I thought Austin had the explosiveness to be an elite receiver and was probably one of the best I had ever seen at "hip stacking"
 
With all this said and observed, Dallas continued to start Patrick Crayton and Austin played sparingly. Coming in to this season, after finally getting rid of T.O., most people (even Jerry Jones) were talking about Miles Austin getting a chance to break out. He had some nagging injuries through the preseason but on opening day was ready to go. Shockingly, Crayton and Roy Williams were the starters.  Dallas started 2-2 and if not for a Roy Williams injury who knows how long it would have taken for Austin to become a starter. Even after setting an all time team record for receiving yards in his FIRST START Phillips said they were "undecided" on whether or not Austin would start the next game...thansk goodness he did and our offense has become exceptional ever since.
 
I watched the San Diego game with a friend who happens to be a Philly fan (yea I know...). He made the same observation as me - very few NFL teams have someone this talented taking this long to start a game and needing an injury to an average receiver like Roy Williams to see the field. We likened Austin's talent to Desean Jackson's - and I think it is a fair comparison...don't think many teams would sit on talent like that for long...but our Cowboys did...
 
So now we have the right receivers on the field starting (finally) and we move to the next failing position - kicker. I wrote an article on 11/15 warning that if we did not do something about Folk it could cost us a shot at the playoffs. We proceeded to lose 3 games since then and almost a 4th against Washington and I believe missed field goals played key roles in most if not all of them. I distinctly remember the Giants game in which I watched a team give up on defense after seeing yet another missed field goal in the 4th quarter. You could literally just see the team give up...
 If we had acted the week I wrote the article or even 2 weeks later we could have picked up someone who I believe to be one of the great kicking talents in the league - someone with an over 80% FG pct and a 62 yard field goal to his credit in Matt Bryant. I remember lobbying for us to keep him when we had him in camp years ago but for some unknown reason we let him go. He has gone on to have a great career and was just picked up on 12/1 by Atlanta.
 
Now reporters are asking Phillips if he is going to make a move and he is saying "well, everyone available has their own problems and even has had streaks as bad as Folk is having now".  Yep - you are right - that is correct sir - you have sat on your hands just long enough to watch everyone else scoop up the best available kickers. All we are left with now is other struggling kickers like Jason Elam and Shaun Suisam...
 
So, our sloth in making the right moves when they need to be made may cost us again. And the very sad fact is right now Dallas appears to be peaking and might be playing the best football in the NFC. If we miss the playoffs this year or have the struggle through a wild card scenario the Dallas Cowboys staff have themselves to blame.
 
One final note - so now you might ask who is the hidden talent currently on the roster?  That's easy - Tashard Choice. Both Tim Williams and I have written articles basically begging for this guy to get his chance to start. He has always produced when given a chance and he has the right slashing style and explosiveness to take this offense to the next level. We have left WAY too many yards on the field this season with Choice on the bench which is a real crime.
 
If Choice gets his chance to be the featured back we may all be around late next season talking about how Choice is in the top 5 in the league in rushing. Hey it worked for Austin!  If we talk about it - maybe it will happen!
 
Anyway to end this very long article on a positive note, I think Dallas is one consistent kicker away from possibly being the top team in the NFC. Minnesota and New Orleans showed the world their weaknesses this weekend and Dallas showed everyone they are a team to be reckoned with. Here's hoping we can at least start making 40 yard field goals to make the league fear us even more...
 
Right now the solution is simple - reexamine Folk's hip and put him on Injured Reserve so we can retain his rights and have him complete for the kicking job next season. Then, sign whoever looks the best in the kicking workout this week. I just hate we missed out on Matt Bryant - hopefully that will not cost us in the end...