Romo, Ware, Spencer Fall Short For Dallas Cowboys

What an awful nine months it’s going to be as a Cowboy’s fan. I guess the same thing could be said for what has been the state of the franchise for the last fifteen years.

The loss to the Redskins happened in possibly the worst way possible. Tony Romo has received his fair share of criticism, but unfortunately for that guy he only solidified all the reasons for which the haters have bashed him for so long.

Nov 22, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware (94) talks with Anthony Spencer (93) during the game against the Washington Redskins on Thanksgiving at Cowboys Stadium. The Redskins beat the Cowboys 38-31. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

At this point it looks as if nothing has changed. One year later and the only thing that probably has seen a significant difference is the health of our hearts. Being a fan of the Dallas Cowboys is probably more of a health concern than it is something to be proud of these days.

The reason this loss hurts so bad isn’t so much the fact that they lost, but more so the way in which they did it. Let’s be real every loss hurts but they are much easier to accept when the winning team is clearly better. Had the Redskins come out full strength and simply outplayed the Boys then I would be more content. The fact that the game was lost on a fly ball out to left field by none other than Tony Romo – a guy I still defend to this day – is what bothers me the most.

Seriously, there were several opportunities for the Cowboys to make something happen in this game and they simply did not stand up to the challenge.

We cannot excuse Romo at all for his major mistake at the end of the game, but my beef lies with the Cowboys defense.

We can continue to use the excuse of how this defense was shot or made up completely of scrubs that the Cowboys pulled off the street. Let’s be real though, excuses like those are for teams that aren’t in the race for a playoff spot. Throw on top of that the fact that they were up against a rookie quarterback who wasn’t even at full strength. Nothing against RGIII, because we all know he is stepping into greatness, but surely there has to be some pride in these veterans being completely fooled by a simple option read play.

Let’s refine my argument a little more. I’m not even going after the defense anymore but the two leaders of it. That’s right I’m talking about Demarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer. It was so frustrating seeing these two guys being teased by the puppet master RGIII. That might be a low blow to Ware considering the injuries he was playing through, but seriously those injuries had nothing to do with the fact that he bit on those fakes every single time. The same can be said for Spencer and he didn’t have the injury excuse to fall back on.

It was so annoying watching those guys go inside after the running back inside only to see RGIII take off around the edge for another first round. It was like they had no faith in the interior of the defense. Throw on top of that the fact that Alfred Morris shredded them for 200 yards anyways and you begin to see why this was so ridiculous.

It seems as though we’ve placed these guys on a pedestal for the things they’ve done this season or in the past without thinking about what they really lack. Ray Lewis is considered one of the all time greats and for good reason. He is known not only for putting up big numbers, but more for getting it done when it mattered most. He makes plays when they need to be made. I don’t know that the same can be said for Ware or Spencer.

People all across the country heap criticism on Romo for these exact same reasons. If those demands are placed on your offensive star then shouldn’t the same be expected of the defensive stars as well?

It’s difficult to bring this up, because I truly appreciate the contributions of these two defensive monsters, but they as well as Romo truly let me down this Sunday. Romo should never have thrown that ball that’s a given, but at that point the defense was never more needed, yet they failed to deliver.  And for those of you reading right now and wanting to ask me if I could do better, well I doubt that I could, but I’m not the one making millions of dollars to do so either.

My hat is off to the Washington Redskins and specifically to Robert Griffin. He led his team to victory even on a bad tire. That is the tenacity that the Cowboys have been lacking for too long.

When called upon, Tony Romo missed his chance to quiet the naysayers. Unfortunately his defensive counterparts were unable to come to his rescue.