Should The Cowboys Tank?

One of the ways in which football is different from, say, baseball or basketball is that franchises don't really get enough out of down years. When a baseball team fails, the organization will sell off assets in July and August, bring up young players from the minors, and maybe find a pitcher or position player that you can build around next year. Similar plays happen in the NBA, particularly now that the D-League exists. (And if you doubt the power of the D-League to produce rotation minutes on the cheap, you're wrong -- there's over 50 guys on opening day rosters in this year's Association that did time in the D, and it's only been open for a few years now. But I digress.)

The NFL isn't like that, mostly because it's relatively rare for a team to have more than a handful of games that are meaningless, or anyone on the practice squad that are more than special teams ballast. Plus, the games cost so much for tickets, and there's only eight home games a year, so you get the sense that teams are really not looking to throw in the towel.

But then there's Dallas -- a 1-5 team that just lost starting QB Tony Romo for what might be the year, with a suspect and injured offensive line, and a defense that looked like they just plain quit on SNF. There's talent here, of course -- the team drafts relatively well at the skill positions, and they were a Final Eight team last year -- but if you see more than 6 to 7 wins out of them this year, you are probably on something. And even in the unsettled and inconsistent NFC, you're going to need 9 wins to have a shot at the wild card.

So... well, why are they still trying to win games?

The current starting QB, Jon Kitna, is 38 years old, with one more TD than INT, in an awful lot of NFL time. His career passer rating is 76.6. He's a reasonable enough backup, especially if he comes cheap, but the accuracy has never been a strength (sub 60%), and if he actually stays healthy at his age behind this line, it would have to be considered something of an upset. He's not going to lead them to the promised land.

If I were a Cowboy Fan, I'd be a lot more interested in seeing if RB Tashard Choice could give me a spark in the Marion Barber role than, well, Marion Barber. I'd also rather watch WR Dez Bryant over WR Roy Willimas, to the point of just not giving Williams snaps, and... drumroll please, I'd much prefer 25 year old rookie QB Stephen McGee over Kitna.

McGee isn't a complete longshot to providing value. He's a fourth round pick from Texas A&M -- there's a win for Cowboy Fan -- has good size and speed, and preseason success in the last game against the Miami scrubs. He's a multi-sport athlete according to the Web, has a track record of ball security, and is signed for the next four years, which would help them get away from the sunk cost that is Romo. (Independent of your opinion of Senor Tony, he costs big cash, and has one playoff win in 3+ years under center.)

If you start McGee, it's a no-lose situation. If he wins games and looks good, you've got a great new story of a home-state rookie making good. If he's totally horrible, you know you need to start again. And if he's somewhere in between, he's basically, well, Kitna, but with hope.

So what does Cowboy owner Jerruh Jones say about the McGee possibility? Only that he's "adamantly opposed" to the idea of promoting McGee to the starting role. And as an Eagle Fan, all I can say is... You Go, Tight Skinned Old Freak. Hold tight to your dreams of a Super Bowl appearance for the home team, so much so that you do long-term damage to your franchise. You are slowly but surely becoming my favorite NFC East owner.

And if you want to make it easy on Cowboy Fan, broach the subject with a good classic rock anthem from the early '70s. It's not quitting, Cowboy Fan -- it's walking away. Walking Tall Away, even!