The ginormous contract made it a foregone conclusion that Romo will  spend the remainder of his career in Big D. Since he turns 33 this month, it is yet to be determined just how long that will end up being. Cowboys Nation can only hope that when his legacy is officially written, it will include Super Bowl glory and not just a string of impressive statistics. In that category, though, it has been hard to argue with Romo’s success. He ranks fifth best all-time among NFL quarterbacks with a passer rating of 95.6 that is topped by only Aaron Rodgers, Steve Young, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning…which is some pretty lofty company. Romo also holds the Dallas Cowboys franchise record for touchdowns, with 177.

As we look to the 2013 season, the pressure for the Cowboys to get over the hump and finally make a significant playoff run will be greater than it has in his Romo Coaster of a career in Dallas. Romo has led his team to memorable comeback wins and kept his team in countless other match ups with his uncanny ability to make a play where there seemingly is none. However, until he proves that he can lead the Cowboys deep into January, the most famous play in Romo’s career will always be that fumbled snap that sent the Cowboys home from the playoffs in that horrible loss against the Seattle Seahawks in 2006. In win or go home games in the 2011 and 2012 regular season finales, Romo shouldered the brunt of the blame for Cowboys losses to division rivals New York Giants and Washington Redskins, respectively, throwing an interception in the final three minutes to end a Dallas comeback bid at FedEx Field that would have made them 2012 division champs. Romo’s miscues aside, the elephant in the room in the Cowboys’ lack of post season success has to be the pitiful offensive line and defensive secondary play that has plagued Dallas in recent years. (more…)

The teams that are in the playoffs are the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers.  Both have clinched a playoff spot and we won’t see them the first round.  With this weekend and the next weekend only left, we have the Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers (who have secured their spot), and the Washington Redskins in the Wild Card round.  Still in the hunt are the Cowboys, the Chicago Bears, New York Giants, and the St. Louis Rams.

The Minnesota Vikings are playing the Houston Texans this coming weekend and if our counterparts want any chance of a “Texas Super Bowl”, they need to beat the Vikings.  How they are going to shut down Adrian Peterson, I am not sure?  Either way, they must beat the Vikings.

The Cardinals and Bears faceoff this weekend and as far as I am concerned, I will be a 3-hour Cardinals fan.  Arizona has a slim shot but it is going to be against a team that has lost 5 of their last 6 games.  The Cardinals should be hungry for a win, especially after finally tasting a victory after nearly going 2 months without.

The New York Giants were shut-out last weekend against the Atlanta Falcons, 34-0.  Needless to say, they play the Baltimore Ravens and the Giants are going to be head hunting after the embarrassment at Atlanta.  This will be a good game, but again I will be rooting for the Ravens for 3-hours.

The St. Louis Rams play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a close match-up.  Washington plays the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday and quite frankly, the way the Eagles have been playing; we can probably count on the Redskins to win this one.  Especially after the play of their backup QB Kirk Cousins, you can probably see a win in their future no matter who is playing quarterback on Sunday.  As much it would hurt to try to do get the words out, we want Philly to pull one out and play spoiler.

Seattle is playing the 49ers on Sunday night football and this game promises to be a good one.  Seattle is averaging 44 points per game in the last three games and San Francisco has been playing very well despite the fact they changed quarterbacks.  I dislike the 49ers as much as anyone, but for one night for 3-hours; I will be a 49er fan.

Of course, let’s not forget the most important of 3-hours as the Cowboys play the New Orleans Saints.  Kickoff is set for 12:00 pm CST at Cowboys Stadium.  New Orleans has struggled quite a bit, losing the last 3 out of 4 games.  Dallas is having their best December, going undefeated so far in the month that usually sees a huge collapse.  This team has become a team of the second half, so let’s hope they play some complete games like they did last weekend, this the second half of the season.

So for 3-hour increments, I am going to be showing my best Cowboy colors by rooting for the teams we need to so our beloved team can be closer to the Promised Land in New Orleans.  It is going to be hard to root for those teams because like many of you, I don’t care to root for any other team than ours.  If we want our team in the playoffs, let’s sacrifice those 3-hours and get our team to New Orleans!!

Sep 23, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys line backer Sean Lee (50) on the line of scrimmage during the third quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cowboys Stadium. The Cowboys beat the Buccaneers 16-10. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-US PRESSWIRE

This is a tremendous loss for the Cowboys, whose defense was the lone bright spot in what has become a mediocre season. With the heart and soul of their defense sidelined, is the Cowboys’ playoff hopes sidelined as well?

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