Time to Cowboy up

The following was written as a comment to another blog posting, but will still make sense standing alone. The post I'm responding to is about

"The Fall of Romo???"

The fall of Romo? Not likely. Perhaps the stumble of Romo. Maybe the misstep of Romo. But the "fall" of Romo? No.

This was a crushing loss for the Cowboys, no doubt about it. Instead of a two-game division lead and the inside track to a bye, they are left with a one-game lead and lots of wounds to lick.

More importantly, the Cowboys - if they do lock up the division - will most likely play a division foe in the first round (either NYG or PHI), depending who which, if not both, make the dance.

It's true, there's a lot of hype on ESPN, where a quarterback can go from ontop of the world and dating Jessica Simpson to getting crushed by the Saints at home and being shot at in South Dallas. Tony Romo is no exception. He is definitely in the dog house this week. But so is the entire organization.

That's one of the worst home losses the Cowboys have had in recent memory, but it also provides something - if anything - to bounce back from.

You brought up a great point, that Romo had not yet been tested by a tough defense. Well, now he has. Now he knows what to expect. Now he can be better prepared the next time around.
The Cowboys schedule the rest of the way (@ATL, PHI, DET) should allow them to take two out of three at least, giving them a 10-6 record at a playoff berth. If they win all three, it's a division title.

If they rebound next week against a shakey Falcons team, they'll be in prime position to finish the season strong and head to the playoffs with a lot of momentum.

The last time the Cowboys won the Super Bowl (1995), they dropped two games in December (home vs. WAS, and @PHI), but still finished the season with consecutive wins and went unchallenged through the NFC playoffs. I'm not saying they could go unchallenged in this year's NFC playoff picture, but they have the talent to do it.

The "analysts" do create a lot of hype, but they do have some foundation for an argument. Romo has had the numbers. The Cowboys have had the defense. The biggest test will be seeing their ability to bounce back, shake off this loss, and refocus on the schedule that lies ahead.

If they do that, then I'll have only four words for you:

HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS!