Jean-Jacques Taylor

Archive | Blog | E-mail

By now, many of you have seen the infamous KDFW-TV video from Sunday’s game that makes it look as though Tony Romo didn’t realize his last pass to Sam Hurd was fourth down.

I can’t say for sure that he didn’t realize it was fourth down. No one can with 100 percent certainty.

But Romo did provide a plausible explanation Tuesday for his behavior immediately after his fourth-down incompletion.

Here’s the statement the public relations department released:

As Tony was walking off the field after the fourth down play, he saw that the down marker on the Dallas sideline read “3.” As it turned out, the marker was in the process of being changed, sequentially, from the number “4” to the number “1” for the Broncos ensuing possession. The marker on the Cowboys side read “3” temporarily. When he saw the “3,” he thought there might have been the possibility of an error on the down count. After asking the officials (holding up three fingers), he then saw the down marker move through the progression from 3 to 2 to 1.

He told the offense it was fourth down in the huddle prior to the last play.

Romo did the smart thing by getting ahead of this story, which was quickly becoming a national firestorm, and having a statement issued early in the week. A story like this does not die without a funeral.

Now, the focus will continue to be solely on Romo’s performance on the field – not whether he can handle the stress of the position.

Q: It seems to me that in 2006 and 2007 Romo was at his best when he was active in the pass pocket, extending plays with his mobility, and running for the first down when needed. Has that been coached out of him or has defenses just caught up with him?

Jessie Bowie

TAYLOR: The Cowboys are trying to coach it out of him because his wonderful ability to create big plays out of chaos – he did it again in the fourth quarter against Denver on Sam Hurd's 53-yard gain – also created too many turnovers. That's a problem because you can't consistently win in the NFL when you turn the ball over. The problem, of course, is that when you take that aspect of Romo's game away, you take away the skill set that makes him special. As grandpa used to say, "The same thing that'll make you laugh will make you cry."

Q: If the Cowboys went to a 4-3 instead of a 3-4, the pass rush would be better. Thoughts?

Jerry Cleveland

TAYLOR: Let's see, they led the league with 59 sacks last year using the 3-4. It's about personnel – not scheme – in this case. They did a good job rushing the passer against Denver. It looks like the rush is starting to build, though DeMarcus Ware remains sackless.

Q: Do you blame the coaches more or the players for the way they have played thus far?

Martin Long

TAYLOR: It's a collective problem. If pressed for an answer, I'd say the coaching staff. Wade Phillips is not a good head coach because he lacks attention to detail, provides way too many excuses for his players and is not a good leader. Jason Garrett has made some puzzling calls lately inside the 20, and I'm not one of those people who goes nuts over play-selection – good or bad.

Q: Jason Garrett is more suitable for a job in the AFC East. I hate seeing the shotgun formation when it's second down and seven yards to go, or the spread offense on the opponent's 2-yard line. That's not NFC East football. Let's wear down the defense with that huge offensive line and more play-action. Am I correct?

Cortchie Welch, Colorado Springs, Colo.

TAYLOR: The Cowboys had run the ball 48 percent of the time in the first three games before Jason Garrett abandoned the running game in the second half against Denver. The Cowboys have a terrific running game and three good runners, so I would expect them to attack with their runners again this week. You want them to run the ball and that's what they've done much of the season.

Q: Is it possible to train a RB like Felix Jones to be as instinctual at "getting tackled," and breaking through contact, as he is at running through holes?

Bill Bardo, Pasadena, Calif.

TAYLOR: I would leave Felix Jones alone. He's a fantastic talent. He's never been a guy who's been injured in high school or college. For some reason, he's been dinged quite a bit since he's been here. But he's so good that I wouldn't mess with his style or approach one bit. He's averaging more than 9.0 yards on 50 career carries, which is insane.

Q: Do you think Jerry Jones is kicking himself for not hiring Mike Singletary? He would have been a great fit and exactly what this team needs.

Ron Guerra, Santa Monica, Calif.

TAYLOR: It's easy to say that. We don't know. Every coach's situation is unique. Just because you fail or succeed in one place doesn't mean you'll fail or succeed in another place. I love his leadership and approach, but who knows how well he would've worked with Jerry. Or Romo. I don't think Jerry is second-guessing himself. Hey, Bill Parcells didn't work out and they're similar in approach.

Q: Jerry's focus was the stadium and not upgrading anything else.

Bob A. Vossoughi, Phoenix

TAYLOR: I think you make a good point that I wrote about earlier this year. He had so much money tied up in the stadium that I think it affected his decision-making. I think it played a role in his decision to move out of the second round, letting a veteran like Greg Ellis go and not being a key player in free agency. He's paying the price now. The addition by subtraction doesn't seem to be working that well.

Q: Is there any hope for this season? I'm starting to believe the Cowboys are just not mentally tough enough. Thoughts?

Erick Jaeger, Cable, Wisc.

TAYLOR: I often say it's not my job to have hope, faith or optimism that the Cowboys will work out whatever problems they have. I deal in reality – not what the Cowboys want reality to be. That said, there's a reason why some teams find ways to win and others find ways to lose. The Cowboys had the lead and Denver needed to go at least 50 yards before it could even attempt a game-winning field goal, and Dallas gave up a touchdown. It has to do with confidence and play-making. The Cowboys don't have a lot of play-makers. It's an intangible skill that's not easily defined. This team lacks mental toughness, which starts with the head coach.

Q: With the struggles of Anthony Spencer to mount a pass rush at outside linebacker begs my question again. Why do the Cowboys continue to draft defensive ends in college and try to make them outside linebackers? If they are going to use a first-round pick looking for an outside linebacker, then draft a guy who actually played outside linebacker in college. It takes too much time and wasted high picks turning a defensive end in college into an outside linebacker in the NFL with the way the Cowboys are developing them. You only come across a DeMarcus Ware very seldom. Agree?

Glenn Guillory, Baytown, Texas

TAYLOR: Teams that use the 3-4 want linebackers in the 260-pound range so they can take on the 330-pound tackles they must face on a regular basis. The easiest way to find those guys is to draft undersized defensive ends in college who are good athletes and have good pass-rushing skills. Then you get linebackers big enough to be a factor against the run at the point of attack who are also good pass rushers.

Q: Do you see Jon Kitna taking over around midseason?

Gary Hatley, Plano

TAYLOR: No. No. No. A thousand times no. He's not better than Romo.

Q: Is this shift in Romo's playing style undergoing a hiccup period simply because he is getting used to it like when Tiger reworked his swing and it took him a little while to get the hang of it? Or is the "bus driver" Romo more a consequence of sub par WRs, which was a lot of the talk earlier in the season?

Bernardo Mainou

TAYLOR: That's a really nice point and is probably a pretty good description. Romo is being so cautious right now that he's not letting his natural ability flow. Once he does, if he does, he can still be a really good player in this league. We all know he's better than he's showed lately.