In 1987, my family and I went to a formal fund-raising dinner that my Dad organized at a Washington D.C. hotel. It was a very exciting event as it was attended by a wide range of dignitaries and personalities. Even without knowing who everyone was, I remember being mesmerized by the scene and feeling the energy created by the atmosphere and the mere fact that I was also in the nation’s capitol!

When the event was over, my Dad asked me to go get the family van in the parking garage about two blocks away where I had parked it. Walking the street at night was enough of a cultural experience for me, and when I arrived to where I remembered parking the vehicle, it was gone.

My heart began to skyrocket as I quickly tried to dismiss the fact that it had been stolen while feeling an overwhelming tidal wave of guilt. I then quickly formulated the theory that I was on the wrong level and found a sign that read “Level 3″ with an arrow beside it pointing up. The sign was above a door so I figured that the two were working together to help me in my dilemma.

When the door shut behind me inside that vacuous stairwell, the slam sent off a reverberation that screamed, “No!”

I approached the door the next floor up, and it was locked. This vertical shaft seemed to spin, the cussing increased, and the sweating seemed excessive as I flew up the stairs trying the next seven doors all of which were cemented shut. The next chance for ending this nightmare was the last door before reaching the roof and it was open. I walked into an office space that was dark and empty but it had an elevator.

Luckily, it wasn’t locked off and took me to the first floor where I knew I could get out and try this again. It emptied me into a glass vestibule off of the building lobby about 75 feet from the front door. I walked up to the glass doors separating me from the lobby and they were locked — of course. I yelled and screamed as D.C. denizens walked by completely oblivious to my dilemma.

I felt like I had just entered a vacuum that had devoured every attempt of mine to succeed in this predicament and it left me extremely weary and vulnerable.

As I sat on the floor up against the wall completely void of all energy, I found myself staring through a large plant that was next to the door and noticed something shiny. As I pushed the very heavy planter away, I found the exit button tucked away in the corner of the “death chamber” like some practical joke by the building engineer.

I walked out of the building and headed back to the hotel and was then greeted by family and friends like someone who had been presumed dead in a plane crash but had survived on a remote island.

When I arrived at Texas Stadium last Sunday, the atmosphere was radioactive. I walked among Cowboys and Giants fanatics screaming, chanting, and displaying their opinions about their team and where they were destined to go after this do-or-die battle. You could feel the drama swelling like a tidal wave. Everyone knew that this was not just any game.

Standing on the cement landing next to the row where my seat was and looking out over the field gave me chill bumps that could be used as sandpaper and stung like a flock of bees. I saw Jerry Jones and his entourage along with Romo, T.O., Witten, Demarcus “Beware” Ware, Marion Barber, and the rest of the Dallas Cowboys. The surroundings and climate screamed that everyone on the field and in the stands knew what was at stake; the mission was clear and simple.

The Giants struck first in the first quarter, but that wasn’t anything new as Dallas had started out slow in the first half all season. With 3:05 left in the first half, Barber woke up with crowd with an electrifying 36-yard burst up the middle. Six plays later, Romo found T.O. in the end zone. The Dallas defense smothered NY on the next series and got the ball back and engineered a ten minute drive that resulted in a Barber TD with :53 to play in the first half and a 14-7 Dallas lead. The kilowatts in the arena were volcanic.

What happened next took me back twenty years ago when that door slammed shut behind me as I attempted to go up the next level in the parking garage. Deep in the pit of my stomach, something told me that things might be fixing to get ugly. The G-men, behind a flawless Eli Manning, conducted an impressive seven-play drive and closed out the half with a TD tying the score at 14-14. Most teams would have played for a field goal at best, but that TD created a disturbance in The Force.

Dallas took the second half kickoff and went on a 14-play drive taking up the first 8:07 off the 3rd quarter only to end with a 4th and 12 from the Giants 16-yard line. When they chose to kick a field goal and take a 17-14 lead, I cringed and looked to the heavens for an explanation as this decision violated one of the commandments of my football religion: THOU SHALT NOT KICK A FIELD GOAL INSIDE THE RED ZONE DURING ANY NFL PLAYOFF GAME. I will always believe that it is worth the risk to go for the TD on fourth down inside the opponent’s 20 unless you’re down by three points or less in the fourth quarter with less than two minutes left. If you don’t succeed, then you’ve got them pinned deep in their territory, and your defense should be good enough to make the opposing offense sweat. They got you this far in the season.

As the ball sailed through the uprights, I felt like I did when I found the open door but it led to a dark office space. At least I’m not in that stairwell, but this still isn’t quite the answer I was looking for.

The Cowboys proceeded to stop the Giants on their next drive, but something changed in the air after that field goal. Dallas continued their dull and erratic ways by committing horrible penalties and putting a bridle on their momentum. With 53 seconds left in the third quarter, NY drove the field and scored the go-ahead TD with 13:33 left in the game.

This is typically plenty of time for a 13-3 team who is down by four at home in the playoffs, but the Cowboys seemed to lose hope and did not play with the heart and enthusiastic energy that led to such a successful regular season. More penalties emerged, passes were dropped, and the collective sweating of the Dallas throng began to increase. When Dallas got the ball with 1:50 left in the game and on the Giants 48-yard line, there was a temporary feeling of relief and zeal as Romo broke the huddle and took his place behind center.

The drive included a nice run by Barber and a couple of key catches by Jason Witten, but more dropped passes and another false start put Dallas at the Giants 23 facing a 4th and 11.

I felt as if I had just been spit out of the elevators into that glass closet looking at freedom 23 yards away. Dallas had succeeded all year in this do-or-die situation (anyone remember the Detroit, Buffalo, or Minnesota game??) Finally, let’s score this TD and end this agonizing experience!

Romo went back to pass and saw Terry Glenn streaking along the back of the end zone and let the ball go. It was like I was approaching the glass doors ready to walk into the lobby and then out of the building to breath the fresh night air.

I saw R.W. McQuarters flying in front of Glenn with his eyes peeled on the ball and I saw what was developing. I felt helpless because there wasn’t anything I could do to get Glenn in position to catch the ball. McQuarters intercepted the ball and put a lock on the Cowboys season.

NY Giants 21 Dallas 17.

The air, fervor, and hope of all inside Texas Stadium was immediately vaporized.

Deep inside, I was yelling and waving my arms trying to get the attention of the football gods passing by to make them see that this did not end the way it should have. I needed them to rescue Dallas by providing a way out of this suffocating and fatal blow. Where’s the flag?!?! Didn’t the Giants call a timeout right before the snap?!?! Something! Somebody! Help!

I stood there knowing that the Cowboys season was over but only because it felt like a Marine drill sergeant was yelling it in my face from about 2″ away spit and all. I was trying to find the exit button, but it was no where to be found.

This very well could be the most overused phrase in sports.

It’s also the #1 goal of every NFL player when he steps onto the football field. When they slip on their pads, uniform, and helmet in the locker room, they know nothing else. This mantra is what propels these athletes to relinquish all accessible firepower while down in the trenches and out in the open field of each gridiron battle.

All coaches will tell you that this is the bedrock where their coaching philosophies are built. Every strategy and nugget of information that is taught to the players is for the sole purpose of winning every game that they play.

But, in recent history, it has become customary by many coaches to scale back and take a different approach to the last one or two games of the season when their team has clinched the playoffs and cannot alter its current position in the upcoming post-season. That strategy involves resting starters for all or a certain percentage of the game.

While I understand the common-sense approach that produced this decision, I simply don’t agree.

Yes, I get it — There’s nothing else to play for so why start your star players and run the risk of them getting hurt and being out for the playoffs? Here’s a thought. Don’t they run the risk of getting hurt every time they step on the field? What’s worse: Tony Romo getting hurt in Week 10 and, as a result, Dallas missing the playoffs or Romo getting hurt this week in Washington and having a Super Bowl-winning QB in Brad Johnson taking over? Give me the former.

The Cowboys are pretty deep all around the board so an injury to a player who has started all or most of the season is going to be treated like any other injury. You simply bring in the back-up and trust that he’s ready to perform to the max as he would in any game of the season.

If someone is nursing an injury like T.O., Terence Newman, etc. then I can understand developing a game plan without them, but if I was Wade Phillips, I would start Romo, Barber, Witten, etc. and give it 120%!

Why wouldn’t you want to end the season on a high note with a ton of momentum knowing that you have the next two weeks off to rest from all the aching muscles or minor injuries?

Personally, I’m more concerned if Romo doesn’t play this Sunday. That would mean that he would not play for three weeks and then you have to look at the issue of him not being rusty. I simply see this game vs. the Skins as a tune-up for the playoffs; an opportunity to hone your game and work on some things that you may think is a detriment right now. And, who better to be out there than the same personnel that is going to be used in the playoffs? The last time I checked, if you lose one game in the playoffs, then you get to stay home for 7 months.

I don’t think it’s old-school thinking when you play all of your starters for every regular season game regardless of what your goals are for that game. It’s called respecting the integrity of the game by giving it your all for 16 games.

As a head coach, when you start looking at whether to start your regulars, how long they should play, etc., then you are communicating the notion that if the team loses, it doesn’t matter. You’ve met all your goals for the regular season so let’s “baby it” the last game and be very conservative.

If you do that, then you aren’t taking what’s worked for you before and simply not playing to win.

Personally, there’s nothing more aggravating than not reacting quick enough or simply misjudging a dip in the road and expecting to see your muffler in the rear view mirror laying in the middle of the road. The fact is that most depressions in the road are supposed to be there. They are designed to be a speed deterrent, and each vehicle hits them at various rates of speed at different times with a variety of side effects.

The roads that NFL teams travel down are also full of dips, pot holes, and ruts including the streaking New England Patriots. They approached some potentially-dangerous cavities facing Indy, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and the NY Jets but they’ve been able to avoid the hazards and maintain their course flawlessly with some great vehicle maneuvering.

Dallas has found the road this season also full of stumbling blocks. There was the Patriots declivity that caused Dallas to blow a tire and pull over for a change. That had been the only loss, but you can’t ignore the scary pot hole in Buffalo and the near collision with a barricade in Washington. Who can forget the stalled semi in their lane that caused Bid D to swerve and fly through a fence in Detroit “Griswold-style” only to land in the parking lot of one of their destinations, Playoff Park?

Things seemed rosy when they got back on the highway and approached Philadelphia.

I don’t know if it was something (or someone) that distracted them or if something else was on their mind, but the steep slope in the road called Eagles Gulch left Dallas woozy and feeling whiplash. They’re OK despite some scrapes, bent fenders and side panels, and a shredded tire, but this got their attention. For some reason, they typically have trouble along this stretch of road in December which in years past has led to them suffering enough colossal damage that they had to cancel the rest of their trip.

Tonight, they approach Carolina and something tells me that last week’s wake-up call will have them focused like a hungry hawk spotting a mouse in a desert. The Panthers are starting Matt Moore, who was Dallas’ 3rd-string QB this past pre-season, so that has to be in the Cowboys favor since they’ve had success this year against freshman QB’s. A dilapidated offense ranked 29th in the league shouldn’t find much room to move the ball efficiently if Dallas can keep constant pressure on Moore and stop the run.

I simply don’t see the warning signs in Pantherland of Dallas bottoming out as they take one step closer in securing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. This will become reality if Green Bay is derailed in Chicago and Dallas takes care of business at this rest stop in Carolina.

Football wisdom and excellent business rationality have gone M.I.A. from the city of Detroit for many years, but you can’t avoid the seven-year abyss that has engulfed the city since President and CEO Matt Millen took over. Since then, these fundamental principles that are essential to surviving in today’s NFL have been a steady drip giving the Lions a blown gasket every season.

Millen developed a very strong passion for wide receivers by drafting 4 out of the last 5 drafts while passing up unbelievable talent for other critical positions (like QB) where they lacked. They also did not have any consistency or drafted well at quarterback. During most of his tenure in the Motor City, Millen has had Joey Harrington and he was not developed well. Harrington is now with Atlanta on the bench after a pit stop in Miami. The Lions have also defied NFL logic by abandoning the running game since the retirement of Barry Sanders. The names that they’ve brought in have either struggled through injuries or were simply not gifted.

I could go on, but the bottom line is that Matt Millen went from a NFL linebacker to a radio/TV color guy in the broadcast booth and then straight to the top of the Detroit Lions right under owner William Clay Ford.

And, it’s shown.

From 1991 to 2000, the Detroit Lions made the playoffs six times. Then Millen took over in 2001. Since then, they have not made the playoffs once and compiled a 30-78 record including 8-46 on the road.

Coincedence? Not so much.

The Lions also have a rich history during this horrible stretch of getting off to good start and then floundering in the end. This season, they began the year with a 6-2 record and had one of the most explosive passing games in the league. Eyes were beginning to turn and hearts were starting to believe. Then, the balloon popped, and they have no lost four straight while showcasing a dismal defense and extremely porous offensive line.

In addition, their superstar WR Roy Williams is out for the year, their running game is last in the league, and they lead the league in sacks allowed at 51. On top of that, QB Jon Kitna is eating his words after last season’s win vs. Dallas when he proclaimed LB Bradie James and CB Terence Newman soft and ineffective. You just don’t say things like that because they are seeds sown that will, one day, grow.

Now, Detroit finds themselves welcoming these same Dallas Cowboys who, along with QB Tony Romo, are simply smoking. They are 11-1 and have clinched a playoff berth. Their offense continues to scorch any playing turf, and the defense is proving to be quite ferocious.

This is what you would call “not a good combination.” Plus, Dallas is one win away from clinching the NFC East.

It’s like a shark being put in a tank with a bloody sailfish, or a Lamborghini racing a BMW…

With a blown gasket.

In the winter of 2001, I went camping and hiking with my cousin in Colorado at Taylor Reservoir Park in San Isabel National Forest. We set up camp in one of most beautiful spots on the planet at 11, 400 feet next to Mirror Lake at the base of the Sawatch mountain range including Fitzpatrick Peak which soared in front of us reaching 13,114 feet.

One morning, we came up with the idea to hike a snow covered road that took you to the top of Tin Cup Pass right at 12,000 feet. From the base camp, it was quite daunting to look up at our destination and picture myself up there wondering what I would have to do and encounter as “steps” to get to the top.

Sure enough, our trek included several road hazards and last-minute decisions that just had to happen in order for us to make it. There were snow drifts to walk through; some of which were deeper than they appeared and a nice icy cold surprise at the bottom that kept my boots soaked. Tall weeds and brush were unavoidable as was the thick mud that they hid. Steep inclines (at least steep to me) allowed me to feel burning, piercing pain in my thighs and calves that made me tear up like a 9-year-old boy falling off his bike and landing on a cactus. There was no way I was going to cry as my pride and manliness came to the rescue. I wasn’t about to let all of this stop me as my goal was crystal clear.

And then, I turned around just short of the peak. 

Becoming a father, nailing a very important interview, and buying your first home are well-deserved feelings of accomplishments, but I have to admit that this sensation is ranked way up there as I looked over what appeared to be half the state. Our tent looked like it belonged on a miniature scale of a Civil War battlefield. The lake that we were camped near was a pool of drool, and the trees seemed like a blanket of clover leaves.

The view was more than breathtaking. It just about knocked me backwards.

When the 2007 season began, the Dallas Cowboys had their sights set on the ultimate goal which was a trip to Glendale, AZ to compete for a world championship. In order to reach that pinnacle, they would have to go to war sixteen times while experiencing all kinds of weather, injuries, and intense pressure in the midst of executing plays and looking for opportunities to lasso a “W.” Along the way, they would obviously have to reach certain points just before the peak to give them a sense of accomplishment.

One of those heights was taken last Thursday when they mastered the Green Bay Packers and reached an unforeseen 11-1 record for the first time in team history.

To their benefit, the Pack came out with an odd gameplan as they went to the air looking for the big pass play over and over without trying to establish a running game. The result was an offense that couldn’t get in sync and created turnovers for the Cowboys defense, the last of which proved very costly in more than one way to Green Bay. Brett Favre took a licking by Nate Jones that knocked him out of the game early and denied all who were in attendance and able to watch it on TV an all-out battle between two of the best field generals in the league this season.

Aaron Rodgers provided some fireworks, but it was Tony Romo’s night to shine as he blasted the Cowboys single-season TD pass record by throwing 4 of them and reaching 33 for the year breaking Danny White’s 29.

The Dallas defense also dominated and took advantage of Rodgers inexperience while showing the rest of the league and the Cowboys faithful that they are much better than they were the beginning of the season.

Combined with the Cowboys running game, which kept the clock running and made it difficult for the Green Bay offense to stay on the field consistently, Dallas notched another victory and clinched that playoff plateau that is one of the “stops” on the way to the peak.

From where they stand now, there’s an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, but there’s six or seven games to go including playoffs so in order for it to take their breath away they’ll have to reach Glendale.

Fred Mabson, a local restaurant owner, said that he was a kid who “had no advantage in any way, shape, or form. His parents were not wealthy.” Which would explain the small vague house across from the old town cemetary.

Rick Koceja, a sixth grade P.E. teacher, called him a typical boy who was “a little hyper. Very active. Got into his share of trouble, but knew when to settle down.”

Antonio played for the Minis team in the Frank Roth League of the Burlington Little League. In 1993, the Minis beat Pick N Save 18-13, and he had 4 hits. After that win, he played for the Frank Roth All-Stars and helped beat the Ginger Beaumont League All-Stars 15-14 for the championship.

He played soccer until his freshman year at Burlington High School in Burlington, WI but became a “gym rat” first and foremost excelling in basketball. He decided to join the Demons football team his junior and senior year and became their quarterback. His basketball coaches were stunned to learn that he wanted to concentrate on football to get in to college since they fully expected that he would could be recruited to pound the hardwood by a mid-Division I school, but he felt like he could go further by learning to dissect secondaries as a quarterback.

During these high school years, his idol, Brett Favre was busy leading the Green Bay Packers to a couple of Super Bowl appearances.

At 6-2, Antonio Ramiro Romo was a little small as a QB, and he honestly admitted that he didn’t deserve to be recruited by bigger schools like the Universtiy of Wisconsin who eventually turned him down. ”I pretty much sucked compared to some of the guys that had come out of there, I tell you what, I would not have recruited me. I was an average quarterback. I mean, I did some things, I ran around and made some plays, but I didn’t throw the football very well, a little undersized, all those things. There was nothing that said, ‘Go get this guy.’”

But, someone did.

He ended up receiving a scholarship from the Division I-AA school Eastern Illinois where he became a three-year starter and was Division I-AA Player of the Year when he was a senior.

At the 2003 NFL draft, Romo did not even get selected. He was contacted during the draft by another former Eastern Illinois quarterback who said that his team had strong interest, but for some reason Sean Payton and the Dallas Cowboys did not select him. After the draft, he was approached again by Payton and yet another former EIU Panther QB, Mike Shanahan.

Romo was offered a $20,000 signing bonus by Denver and $10,000 by Dallas. He chose Dallas and later told Shanahan, “Coach, I thought I had a better chance of making the team there than I did at your place.”

In training camp of 2003, coach Bill Parcells put Romo as the #3 QB behind Quincy Carter and Chad Hutchinson. He would not see any action at all that season while Brett Favre finished the year 10-6 and so far in his career had compiled 45, 646 yards and 346 TD passes.

In 2004, Dallas cut Hutchinson and signed Vinnie Testaverde to mentor Carter while trading a third-round pick to the Houston Texans for the rights to Drew Henson. The future did not look good for Romo who would now be #4 and Parcells does not carry four QB’s.

Then fate arrived.

Awhile back, Quincy Carter had made the conscious decision to inject himself with cocaine and the result was a sudden release from the team under allegations from the NFL over substance-abuse. When the drugs entered the body, Romo entered the NFL.

He stayed the #3 QB that season but was elevated to #2 in 2005 behind newly-signed Drew Bledsoe. On October 23, 2006, Bledsoe threw an interception vs. the Giants right before halftime. When the teams returned for the second half, the Romo era began.

And now you know the rest of the story.

This fascinating journey comes to a memorable turn in the road when Tony Romo faces his idol, the legendary #4, this Thursday. The similarities are eerie. They both have sterling vision of the field and have the God-given ability to improvise by getting out of the pocket and creating plays. Watching them will make your heart stop. After a TD pass, they both streak down the field pumping their fists and smiling like an 8-year-old spotting his father taking out a brand new bike from the back of the family station wagon.

Can you imagine what will be going through Romo’s head when he looks across the field and sees the man that he imitated growing up when he played street football with this friends? He’s been on the sideline before when Dallas played the Pack, but he didn’t play much less start.

This NFC battle is a big one, but a loss is not cataclysmic to either team’s season although it just might determine who will have home-field advantage in the NFC Championship game if both teams make it that far.

I’m sure the bigger measuring stick that day as these two former 1967 Ice Bowl participants slam helmets will be held up by Antonio Ramiro Romo as he looks to show Favre that his legacy will live on after he retires….wearing a star.

Was there really any fear that Dallas was going to fold like a dilapidated lawn chair? Did anyone question the Cowboys’ resolve and discipline to concentrate on the nose-diving Jets? How many of you honestly thought that this was a “trap game?”

Last Thursday’s annihilation of the J-E-T-S had the same look as an appetizer placed in front of a recently-discovered castaway who had been living on coconut and algae for the last nine months. He knows that steak and lobster are coming next, but he’s not about to leave a crumb of these bacon-wrapped Southwestern shrimp!

Every NFL fan knows that anything can happen to anyone on any given Sunday, but there was something about Terence Newman’s 50-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter that sealed it for me. As soon as he snagged the football, I began thinking about how to stop Brett Favre.

The Dallas defense did a fantastic job taking advantage of the opportunity to hone itself and gain momentum heading into the Packers game. They held the Jets to a total of 180 yards, nine first downs, and zero TD’s. The offense continued their igniting ways by bringing chaos and mayhem to the Jets defense much like they’ve done to most everyone else.

I don’t care that it was the lowly Jets that Dallas exposed and plundered. They’re supposed to beat those kinds of teams in that manner…besides…

I smell steak.

Throughout the 2007 season, the Cowboys have not fallen into the trap of the infamous “trap game” where they enter a contest with a sub-par opponent the week before a critical battle that has implications on their season or playoff standing. This is a team that just plowed through three straight games against their division foes with a fair amount of ease, face the NY Jets on Thanksgiving Day, and then welcome the Packers at Texas Stadium next Thursday. This game just might determine home-field advantage throughout the playoffs if these two squads continue their commanding ways.

You couldn’t set up a more perfect trap game than today’s game against the sputtering Jets, but Dallas has been disciplined all year long as they literally have approached this season one game at a time. There has been no signs of neurosis or trepidation even in the Patriots rout. I fully expect the Cowboys to enter this game fully prepared and focused as they look to become the first team in Dallas Cowboys history to start a season 10-1.

This is the 40th time that Dallas will play on Thanksgiving Day, and here are some of my personal favorites (not in any particular order):

1. 1980 - Dallas 51  Seattle 7 - Dorsett scored twice, Danny White threw for two TD’s, and Doomsday inflicted pain. I was there in the end zone seats with family and friends. My Cowboys scored 51 points! I was so hoarse the next day.
2. 2006 - Dallas 38  Tampa 10 - This was the first game that really got my attention on how good Tony Romo was going to be, and he hasn’t disappointed yet. He tied the franchise record by throwing 5 TD passes in that game.
3. 1993 - Miami 16  Dallas 14 - I always thought that Leon Lett was extremely talented but he never seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. He proved that with his bone-head play on his attempted recovery of a blocked field goal in the ice and sleet. Miami recovered and drove the field to win. But, Dallas went on to win their second straight Super Bowl that year.
4. 1994 - Dallas 42  Green Bay 31 - A young up-and-coming QB named Brett Favre invaded Texas Stadium while the Cowboys had to resort to starting their 3rd-string QB, a red-headed unknown named Jason Garrett. The “Red Baron” threw 2 TD’s and 311 yards and led a Cowboys blitzkrieg which scored 36 second-half points for the win. The Baron faces The Legend next Thursday once again.
5. 1974 - Dallas 24  Washington 23 - The legendary Roger Staubach was knocked out of the game with a concussion which put second-stringer Clint Longley in the game behind by 13 points in the second half. Longley hit Drew Pearson with a 50-yard bomb in the final minute to win it over the hated Skins. Longley was known to be a cocky S.O.B. and had his clock cleaned by Roger Staubach in training camp. Has there been a greater Cowboy?

Happy Thanksgiving, Football Fans!!

February 25, 1989 is a very dark day in the eyes of many Cowboys faithful.

For twenty nine years, Tom Landry patrolled and managed the Dallas sideline as he led this team to thirteen divison titles, five NFC championships, five Super Bowl appearances, two world championships, and an overall 270-178-6 record. This also included an NFL record 20 straight winning seasons which may never be beat.

The former 2nd lieutenant bomber of the 860th Bomb Squadron built not only a great resume’, but a stellar reputation as a football general who was innovative, loyal, and always kept God and family ahead of his profession. His players would have taken a bullet for him.

New owner Jerry Jones flew to Landry’s vacation home near Austin, TX  on that February day and unceremoniously removed The Fedora forever.

He became known as “the man who fired Tom Landry” and instantly became one of, if not the most, hated man in professional sports especially in Big D.

There is still bitterness and unforgiveness in the hearts and minds of many ex-Cowboys lovers, but Jones has accomplished what he set out to do when he purchased this team. He brought the business aspect to the sport and increased the value of this team to 1.5 billion dollars which is quite a ways from the $140,000,000 purchase price.

Along the way, as owner and GM, he assembled a franchise that has won three more Super Bowls and was extremely dominant in the 1990’s. After ten years of misery, Jones finds himself staring at another possible Super Bowl team thanks to the foundation that Parcells built from 2003-2006, key draft choices, and a particular free agent signing on March 18, 2006.  

When Jerry Jones inked Terrell Owens, fans and media everywhere laughed. Once again, the old man had lost his sense of reasoning and stepped into a lions den. This time it was bringing on an eternally-gifted athlete who carried more baggage with him than a 747 from New York to L.A. during Christmas. His ego was larger than China. His coach was going to be the embattled tyrant, Bill Parcells. This was another train wreck waiting to happen.

His only year under Parcells was pretty typical for Owens. There was the excuses to get out of training camp, and that didn’t set well with Parcells towards “the player.” Then, there was the griping about not getting the ball enough, and who can forget the pill-popping episode that landed T.O. in the hospital on suicide watch and on the national media stage which was home to him. Everyone began saying that, this time, Jones had really lost it.

T.O. actually had a pretty good year statistically, but it became very apparent that either Parcells or T.O. had to go so after the bitter loss to Seattle, Big Bill resigned, and I will always believe that Jones worked his magic and came to “an understanding” with Parcells of where he wanted to take this team.

The next move may go down as Jones’ best ever.

When Jones hired Jason Garrett to be part of the Cowboys coaching staff, it wasn’t known whether it would be as head coach or O-coordinator. He became the latter as Wade Phillips was brought in as the top man. The naysayers went ballistic again as they couldn’t believe he would go after a washed-up, old-school hick and that he would also hire a young pup whose only coaching experience was as quarterbacks coach from 2005-2006 with the Dolphins.

Garrett’s hiring had brought an aggressive and creative offensive scheme that has transformed an undrafted Tony Romo into a fledgling star and has taken advantage of T.O.’s gifts which is catching the ball, intimidating secondaries, and scoring TD’s.

This reached the pinnacle yesterday vs. the Redskins after “the player” scored four touchdowns on eight catches for 173 yards. Over the last four games, he has amassed 27 catches for 559 yards and 9 TD’s. And, isn’t it ironic that as this season has rolled along, Mr. Owens has morphed into a steady team player and is actually part of the glue that is forging this team into one of the better ones in Cowboys history.

At the news conference following the signing and Terrell Owens proclaiming that he knows what is expected of him and that he won’t let Dallas down, Jones said, ”It’s more than his word, it’s about logic. This is an opportunity for him to basically put it all together and come in here and have a very positive experience. Whoever got him after those two experiences (San Fran and Philly) was going to get a more knowledgeable and educated player.”

Terrell Owens was 16 when Tom Landry stood in front of his 1988 team and cried following his dismissal by Jerry Jones. This was a business decision by Jones, and one he had to make. It looked like a sin at the time, but the NFL was entering a new age and Cowboys fans, old and current alike, should realize that the Cowboys have an owner/GM whose work has revolutionized the league and this team.

From The Fedora to The Player, Jones has paved a road that few would walk.

Joe Gibbs is a man of integrity, committment, and faith. He’s as consummate of a professional as you will ever find among the NFL coaching ranks. His character and personality bleed into his work which grants him the ultimate respect that he deserves from his peers and players.

Gibbs is getting a lot of criticism and flack from supposedly “die-hard” Skins fans and the local media because Washington isn’t playing well. They’re 5-4 and 3 games behind Dallas which means they are only one game behind second-place NY. It could be worse. Just ask Miami.

Many are wondering if these last four years since his return to the NFL have been a wash.

I believe the answer is no.

He’s compiled a record of 26-31 since he returned in 2004 up to last week’s let down vs. Philly, and that includes one trip to the playoffs in 2005 where Washington lost to Seattle. When you consider how long he was out of the league (eleven years) and how much the game has transformed since 1992, I think Gibbs has done a very admirable job dealing with the daily grind, putting up with today’s egos that fill every NFL roster, and stomaching the inconsistency of his offense.

In a way, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Gibbs can handle all this due to his ethics and the way he’s wired physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I think the more amazing aspect of his “second coming” is that he chooses to do it at 66 years old (he’ll be 67 on the 25th!)

You have to give him credit for coaching a team with Clinton Portis first of all. Portis, in my opinion, is the most overrated running back in the NFL. He seems to succumb to the smallest of injuries, can’t hit the gaps consistently, and seems to be lacking the speed and power that he displayed in Denver and when he first arrived in Skins Country. I also don’t think there’s another NFL player out there that disrespects the league, his team, and himself more than Portis. We’re talking about a guy who continuously does interviews with reporters dressed as different characters that have huge homosexual overtones and scream, “Aren’t I the S**T!”

His character combined with that of Joe Gibbs is more of a mismatch than that of Bill Parcells and Terrell Owens by fourteen football fields. I don’t know how he does it.

The Skins offense is comprised of a decimated O-line, sub-par receivers, a project QB, and Portis. Statistically, their defense is pretty sound and has the potential of being very good especially if they can keep their secondary healthy.

Finding the chemistry and creating a well-oiled machine is a huge project to undertake for Gibbs and I’m not entirely sure that he’ll see the finished product. Even at his age, he continues to maintain the same rigorous daily schedule as he did when he first started in 1981.

I don’t think Gibbs has been a failure, but today’s game is all about how many W’s are in the pocket at the end of the season and how much money is in the bank account. For this reason alone, it would not surprise me to see someone else come in next year if Washington doesn’t make the playoffs, and the match-up problems with Dallas Sunday could begin the trek to that reality.

As a Cowboys fan, I love seeing Washington suffer. As a human being, I think Gibbs deserves better, and I can’t think of a better man to carry on his legacy and build on his foundation comprised of character and humility than Bill Cowher.

Other notes and observations entering Game 11:

• When most people think of this historical rivalry, it’s hard to not think of the nail-biter in 1979 when Roger Staubach engineered one of the most dramatic come-from-behind victories of his career and in NFL history. Dallas won the division and knocked Washington out of the playoffs 35-34 on Staubach’s TD pass to Tony Hill with 39 seconds remaining. The TD right before this one was a 26-yard TD pass to rookie RB Ron Springs. Twenty-seven years and 333 days later, Ron Springs, 50, lies in a coma while Dallas plays Washington at home. His son, Shawn Springs, plays CB for Washington and says that he has accepted the reality that his dad may never wake up and is already in a “better place.”
• Tony Romo’s #9 jersey is the top-selling jersey according to NFL.com.
• Dallas might be without RG Leonard Davis (6′6″, 354 lbs.) who sprained his ankle during practice yesterday. It’s not known the severity of the injury, but if it keeps him out of the Washington game, then Cory Proctor (a weak 6′4″ and 297 lbs.) would have to take his place.
• Skins QB Jason Campbell makes his first career start vs. Dallas.
• This will be Tony Romo’s second career start vs. Washington, his first at home.
• Dallas 31 Washington 14