Why the Dallas Cowboys Will Not Make the Playoffs

Here are six reasons why:
1-They have Drew Bledsoe.
Let's face it. This quarterback is not getting the job done. When your interception percentage is the same as your touchdown percentage you have problems in your offense. Period. There is no other way to slice this Dallas pie. Yet, Bill Parcells continues to play him. Out of a sense of loyalty? We all know he can be partial to the veterans, and sometimes to his own detriment. Not every one will turn out to be an Elway fairy-tale. He ought to be playing Romo and calling this entire season one long pre-season to get the kid in shape for next year. Write this year off and prepare for the future.

2-They have Tony Romo.
Even if Bledsoe plays so poorly that they finally do pull Bledsoe from the starting spot and put Romo in will it actually get any better? Not when the kids only taken two snaps the entire season and he's up against teams like the Giants and New Orleans. As bad as Bledsoe is for the team Romo would be no better. I think Tony Romo will make an excellent quarterback someday, but not today. If they move Romo in to take the snaps and make the calls they will end their competitiveness for the year, however I do think it would ultimately be the best move if you want to think long term.

3- No offensive line.
Their offensive line, or lack there of is contributing to the quarterback dilemma quite a bit. Now Bledsoe has a choice between getting hammered at the line taking the snap, or playing shot gun which is a position he has admitted to not feeling comfortable with. Not that I blame him considering his center hasn't shown a great consistency in his long snaps. It also shows in their rushing yards which don't even total 200 yet for the year. Maybe Monday night will change that, but I doubt it as the Giants are known to be tough and aggressive when it comes to their defensive playing. Heck, Giants players don't mind taking fines just to make sure they get their point made. Not to mention the fact that they just released on their best Fullbacks. It is one of those moves that makes you go "What were they thinking?"

4-They cannot stop the pass.
So far, Cowboys defense has been keeping them afloat. In fact they have only allowed 67 rushing yards. Not bad. But they have allowed over 200 yards passing and when you have a great quarterback like Eli Manning in your division, you cannot expect to beat them to make the playoffs with such holes in their defensive playing. Perhaps they are no good at stopping the pass because they don't have strong passing play to practice against during the week?

5-Conservative play calling.
This is another Bill Parcell trademark. The Tuna philosophy, "play it conservatively until you absolutely MUST take some risks". Which I guess can be a fine way to play if you have a team that can take mediocre plays and make them spectacular, but so far the Cowboys haven't demonstrated that ability. Take the game against the Texas Houstons for example; yes they won. But for 40 minutes they had their butts handed to them by one of the worst teams in the league. You cannot play sloppy conservative ball and expect to be a play contender. You cannot continue sticking with what isn't working when it's killing your quarterback. Certainly not when you have contender teams in your division like the Giants and the Eagles. And it isn't only with the play calling that Bill Parcells has caused a lack of offsensive cohesiveness. There's been controversy from day 1; which quarterback? Which kicker? Etc, etc, ad naseum. You cannot build a strong team unit around wimpy play calling and confusion.

6-T.O.
'Nough said right? What's that? You think he's actually going to help the Cowboys? Ok, I'll admit…..he can play. When he can play. But let's face it, so far all he's done is whine about not getting the ball enough (when in actuality he had 11 passes thrown to him in the first half of Week 6 game, and 11 passes thrown to him the second. He really can't blame Bledsoe if he doesn't catch the ball), show up late for practice and miss games. If he ran the ball as much as he ran his mouth the Cowboys could be undefeated. Except for reasons 1-5. He creates an atmosphere of distrust and confusion, both on and off the field and with fellow players and coaches alike. Hardly conducive to tight, right football. If he spent more time being a team player than a spotlight seeker I think the Cowboys might stand a slim chance, but as I said, he is hardly their only problem.