Jean-Jacques Taylor

Archive | Blog | E-mail

GREEN BAY, Wis. – What we witnessed Sunday at Lambeau Field occasionally happens when you have a collection of role players at running back and receiver.

This is not a slam. Nor is it meant to be disrespectful. It's reality. Deal with it.

This spread-the-ball-around offense and its Kumbaya-effect in the locker room is wonderful in theory because it keeps everyone happy since they're involved in the offense.

A lot of times, especially in today's parity-driven NFL, you can win with that approach.

In reality, it's a flawed philosophy.

You're simply much better off having star players. They give the offense an identity.

When the Cowboys were winning championships, Emmitt ran the ball, Michael caught it and everyone else had to get in where they fit in.

Please don't misunderstand. This is not a call for T.O. or any other diva. You can win with unselfish stars. We've seen it.

But you need them. Don't fool yourself.

When you don't have stars, you're going to get some pathetic offensive performances like the Cowboys turned in against the Packers every once in a while.

Green Bay beat the Cowboys, 17-7, and ended their four-game winning streak, in part, because the Cowboys don't have a runner or receiver capable of consistently imposing his will on the game with the sheer power of his talent.

Hey, if Roy Williams doesn't catch a garbage touchdown pass with 38 seconds left, the Cowboys would've returned home without their dignity after being shut out for the first time since 2003, a span of 94 games.

They finished the first half with 111 yards and three first downs. After three quarters, the Cowboys had 114 yards and five first downs.

Ridiculous.

This from a team that averaged 27.1 points and 404.5 yards per game before the offense – surrounded by Cheeseheads on a picturesque fall afternoon – lost its way.

Dallas ran just 21 plays in the first half.

"We didn't have many plays, but we didn't do much with the ball when we had it," Wade Phillips said. "It goes both ways."

There's plenty of blame to spread around, though not much of it goes to Tony Romo, who was sacked five times and harassed on most of his 39 pass attempts.

We could start with Miles Austin, who dropped an apparent 25-yard touchdown on the Cowboys' first series.

It's among the reasons we can't label Austin, who finished with four catches for 20 yards, a No.1 receiver just yet.

"We had a lot of drops today," Phillips said. "It certainly was a big moment."

During the last two weeks – as his profile has increased and teams prepare for him – Austin's production has waned. A No.1 receiver can't drop that pass.

If Austin catches that one pass, the entire game plays out differently because Dallas leads, 7-0, a few minutes into the game and the pressure is entirely on the Packers, reeling after losing to hapless Tampa Bay last week, to respond.

We could blame Williams had his finest day with the Cowboys, catching five passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.

After the game, though, his second-quarter fumble at the end of a 41-yard catch-and-run was a hotter topic than his 100-yard game. So was a third-quarter, third-down drop that Williams said he lost in the lights.

"I lost this game for our football team," he said.

While noble, it's not true.

Here's the problem: Jason Garrett never knows from week-to-week who's going to be the focal point of the offense.

Is it Marion Barber? Or Felix Jones? Or Austin? Or Williams? It makes his job considerably more difficult.

Some games, it's not a problem. But on a day when nothing is working, Garrett doesn't have anyone he knows can get the offense back in sync.

There's not a player who forces defensive coordinators to guzzle can after can of Red Bull trying to figure out how to stop him.

Once the Cowboys fell into the abyss Sunday, they couldn't escape.