Anyways… back on topic…

The day has come for Vikings fans to rejoice – Brad Childress is no longer the head coach. After a horrible loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 11, which let’s be honest, could have been a lot closer of a game if the defense showed up or Favre could hit open receivers, Childress was canned yesterday by owner Zygi Wilf. Defensive coordinator Leslie Fraizer was named the interim head coach.

With the firing of Childress, it leaves the status of Hall-of-Fame and ultimate diva Quarterback Brett Favre up in the air. Now I’ve never been a Favre fan and unlike many even after last year I wasn’t drinking the Kool-Aid. In fact, I stayed as far away from it as possible and it baffled me as to how native Minnesotans like myself who grew up loathing Favre and everything he stood for could be so easily converted into Favre faithful. Sure he’s got the cannon arm, the “gunslinger” mentality, the Midwest personality, and he was replacing Tavaris Jackson… but the guy turned our arch rival into a dynasty and I’m not about to forget that anytime soon.

This move may win over the fans, but it also still leaves the entire state of the franchise up in the air… Vikings fans know that the team needs a new stadium and that L.A. would like a team back sooner than later. It’s a scary proposition – losing your hometown team that’s 50 years old to a city who also stole the Lakers (yes, they were the Minneapolis Lakers… do you really think there are lakes in L.A.?) and has squandered away 2 NFL franchises already.

But alas, this is a day for Vikings fans to celebrate and I would like to thank one man in particular for his part in making this special moment happen – Jason Garrett. Being a trapped fan here in Dallas, I know and can see the transformation of the Cowboys under Garrett. It was night and day. Wade Phillips was/is a lousy head coach, much like Childress, and probably overstayed his welcome even moreso than Chilly.

However both coaches were lousy in different ways – Wade was the senile uncle, the man who failed to understand the complexities of a gameplan, the concept of accountability, and lost his team by failing to command respect due to inaction. Childress, on the other hand, is the stickler grandpa who felt the need to micro-manage everything and everyone which resulted in alienated players and people second guessing his decisions. Lie, cheat, cut – it didn’t matter how Childress went about his day-to-day activities as long as he could control the message, control the team (trade for Moss, cut him, don’t tell the owner), and control the perception. Wade the uncle and Childress the stickler. Neither one belong in the NFL in the capacity they once were.

My father always said when you take over for someone who had done a horrible job that when you do a good job it only makes you look that much better. This is happening right now with Jason Garrett and is what aided Wilf in his decision to fire Childress. The Cowboys were beyond gone, their star QB injured and an awful record – then boom, a coaching change happens and back-to-back wins. Not only did the wins start to roll in, but a team that rolled over and played dead for Phillips looks like they could compete against anyone under Garrett. The Cowboys are completely rejuvenated and hopeful for next season.

You’d have to think Wilf has the same in mind with the Vikings under Fraizer, who has also been a candidate for head coaching positions around the league much like Garrett. People are quick to forget that the Vikings let Mike Tomlin get away under the Childress regime, something I personally cannot live down given Tomlin’s success as a coach and that the Vikings were stuck with Chilly for as long as they were (4.5 seasons).

Tony Dungy, Brian Billick, Mike Tomlin… what do they have in common? The first thing that comes to mind is Super Bowl winning coaches – but they were also all Vikings assistants. It’s the story of the franchise, let the true talent slip away while keeping around the Dennis Green, the Mike Tice, and the Brad Childress of the world.

Let’s hope Fraizer changes the mold.

Matthew Brown is a social media professional who runs a full-time soccer blog called The Trapped Fan which focuses on international soccer.  Also an avid Vikings and Minnesota sports fan, you can follow him on Twitter: @trappedfan

So here we are.

The Dallas Cowboys are quite possibly the most disappointing team in NFL history. That’s not hyperbole. A team many people thought would go to the Super Bowl is inexplicably 1-7, with only one key injury to speak of (though, granted, it’s their QB).

After last night’s national TV shellacking at the hands of the injury-riddled Green Bay Packers, many people expect that Jerry Jones will fire Wade Phillips. Jones was expected to meet with his coaches today to explain what he meant when he said, “There are a lot of people here who are certainly going to suffer and suffer consequences.”

Phillips has a press conference this afternoon, where we may or may not find out Jerry’s plans for the coaching staff. Lucky for you, I snuck into Valley Rance with my camera, a recorder, and Photoshop to get the details of Jerry’s conversation with Wade before anyone else.

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NFL:

• Monday Morning Divisional Round Dish — (Style Points Blog)
• Video: Brett Favre Wants Your Pants on the Ground — (Outside the Box Score)
• Is Wade Phillips back on the hot seat? — (My Sports Rumors)
• Bears “fan” rips Gaines Adams…unbelievable — (Zoner Sports)

NBA:

• The NBA goes “Broadway” – NBA 1998 All Star Game Halftime — (That NBA Lottery Pick)

College Basketball:

• Michigan beats UCONN, fans storm the court — (Detroit 4 Lyfe)

College Football:

• Derek Dooley may just be the best man for the job at Tennessee — (MoonDog)
• Lane Kiffin’s “greatest” hits: Vol 1 — (Gator Bites)

MLB:

• White Sox avoid arbitration with Jenks, Quentin — (MLB Trade Rumors)

Golf:

• John Daly is Back: Lean & Mean on the Outside; Big Heart Inside — (Docksquad Sports)

MMA:

• Best Nicknames in Women’s MMA — (The Cage Doctors)

Guy Stuff:

• Cowgirls Gone Wild — (Babes N Brawls)
• The hottest women of PETA — (Uncoached)
• 10 flagrant acts of couples getting on in public — (Knuckles United)
• This is art imitating hot chicks imitating art — (Reel Pretty)

Blogging / Social Media:

• 5 Ways Foursquare is changing the world — (Mashable)

Misc:

• 8 Leadership Lessons from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — (Michael Hyatt)

After upsetting the Eagles in Philadelphia earlier this season and shutting them out at Cowboys Stadium last week, the Cowboys have major momentum entering Sunday’s matchup.

Before week 17, however, the Eagles had won six straight. So was last Sunday’s stinker a blip on the radar or a sign of things to come for Andy Reid’s team?

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys Quick Preview

• Eagles-Cowboys Date: Saturday, January 9th
• Eagles-Cowboys Kickoff Time: 8:00 ET
• Eagles-Cowboys TV Network: NBC
• Eagles-Cowboys Announcers: Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth
• Eagles-Cowboys Point Spread: Cowboys -4 (as of 1/6)
• Eagles-Cowboys Over-Under Odds: 45
• Eagles-Cowboys Spread Pick by Jerod: Cowboys -4
• Dallas Sports Fans: Cowboys-Eagles Preview

Note: The information above is taken from the NFL Playoffs Wild Card round TV schedule, spreads, and picks post from earlier this week. Keep in mind that spread information is from early in the week. For updated spreads and other up-to-the-minute playoff handicapping info, here are some links for your convenience:

• DocSports: NFL Odds | NFL Picks
• DocSports: NFL Playoff Predictions | NFL Playoff Tree | NFL Playoff Brackets | NFL Playoff Schedule

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Eagles-Cowboys Analysis

The Eagles have toyed with us all season. First pundits everywhere anointed them the class of the NFC before anyone took a snap. Only the Patriots had higher sportsbook odds to when the Super Bowl. Then, they stumbled early, dealing with Donovan McNabb’s injury.

But in the mid-to-late part of the year, Philly hit its stride.

Led by Andy Reid’s pass-happy attack, they ignited the scoreboard. DeSean Jackson emerged as one of the most electrifying players in football, catching a pass of 50 yards or longer in seven different weeks. Youngster Brent Celek became an elite offensive tight end, catching 76 passes for 971 yards and eight scores.

Clearly, the Eagles’ aerial attack poses a major threat to Dallas’ average-at-best pass defense; we’ll give Philly a mulligan for last week’s doughnut.

But the Cowboys match the Eagles offensively and then some.

Tony Romo and Miles Austin led the NFC in passing and receiving yards, respectively. After years of struggling in December, Romo finally turned a corner. He was sensational down the stretch against the tough, aggressive pass defenses of the Giants, Redskins, Saints, and Eagles. He averaged 343 passing yards per game in temperatures under 40 degrees Fahrenheit. So much for his winter-choker reputation.

The key to this matchup is the running game. The Cowboys execute well via the three-pronged attack featuring Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice. Even better than their top-10 rushing offense is their fourth-ranked rushing defense.

That could pose major problems for the Eagles.

LeSean McCoy has plenty of talent but he’s a smallish back and he never got a chance to spread his wings under Reid, who has the most lopsided pass-to-run playcalling ratio in NFL history. McCoy hit 20 carries just twice all season. He thus can’t be relied upon to move the chains at important moments should Philadelphia stake out a lead.

The name of the game is balance. Both teams pass the ball and pressure the quarterback very well but Dallas is a more complete team. Its offense ranked second in the NFL this season, just a hair behind the mighty Saints in total yardage.

The Cowboys can hurt opponents in ways the Eagles can’t. If they get ahead early, their rushing attack can keep them in the driver’s seat; but can McCoy and the Eagles get those same crucial first downs if the situation is reversed?

The Cowboys are peaking at the right time, playing at home and facing a team they beat twice already this season. They’re finally ready to take another step forward and win some big games.

Eagles-Cowboys Spread Pick: Cowboys -4

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* – Wade Phillips photo credit: G.J. McCarthy, Dallas Morning News

* – Andy Reid photo credit: All Around Philly

After a royal butt whipping at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in a Win-and-In game Sunday afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys are saying everything but the right thing.

The Cowboys had an opportunity to reach the playoffs with a win at Philly, but all they accomplished was wasting 3 hours of my day (actually about 2, because I couldn’t stand to watch any more) and costing me another point in my football pool.

The frustrating part of this is the fact that I have yet to hear anyone stand up and say, you know what, Philly played a great game and that we didn’t deserve to win. Instead, all I am hearing is that it’s so and so’s fault, or listening to T.O. cry again because his quarterback played terrible when it matters.

I do think that Jerry Jones needs to look in the mirror a little and understand that money doesn’t buy championships. The Cowboys lack unity and toughness. When the chips are down, the finger pointing begins; yet when things are rolling well, the cocky Cowboys think “we are the best team in football.”

It’s apparent that Jerry Jones is going to bring Head Coach Wade Phillips back next year. I guess I have to respect that decision, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. I truly believe that the attitude and mental toughness of a team comes from a coach that has a strong personality and demands the best out of his players. It’s an attitude, and it starts at the top. There’s no doubt the Cowboys have the talent to be an elite force in the NFL, what they lack are the guts and passion to go out and make it happen.

I don’t mean to slam on Dallas, and I have been a Cowboy fan for many, many years now. But more than anything, I am a football fan. I follow the Chiefs, Rams and Cowboys. I guess that’s maybe where my frustration is coming from, because the first two are terrible and the Cowboys were the only hope this year. Oh well, I will still enjoy watching the playoffs and Super Bowl.

The Cowboys will move into their new $1.1 billion dollar stadium next year, and the question is whether or not they will field a team worthy of this commitment. I for one will be interested to see what, if any, changes are made during the offseason.

coop92 is a contributing author to Midwest Sports Fans, as well as the editor at Midwest Sports Junkies. Check out his site for additional analysis of the St. Louis Cardinals, the BCS, and Missouri Tigers football.