Cowboys Week 12

This was really just a week to get ready for next week as the Cowboys romped the Jets 34-3. Playing back-to-back Thursday games will leave it as a normal work week. It would be nice if Green Bay had been coming off a short week, but they played Thanksgiving too, so they've had a normal week to get ready as well. They are playing the second of two road games while this will be a second of two home games. I'd like to have every advantage possible.

I was sitting there stuffed on the couch and listening to in-law conversation, so I don't really remember anything that struck me other than the seeing the Cowboys take care of a game they should win by running the ball and gaining 174 yds on the ground and Romo only having to throw for 195 yds but going 21 for 28 (75%) to do it. Crayton was a late scratch, but we need him opposite of Owens to give a little credibility to keep DBs from just doubling and tripling TO all the time. Jones broke for 19 once and Barber broke for 20 once. Loved Newmans INT return...he's healthy...now we just need to get Henry healthy and they'll be a great tandem going into the playoffs.

Bring on Green Bay! This could be for home field advantage throughout the playoffs, and we sure don't want to have to go to Lambeau in January for a playoff game, so this game could have a major impact on who goes to the Super Bowl.

Stat of the Week: Barber 18 carries for 103 yds, 1 TD - so we know he's ready to chew up the clock when needed.

Cowboys Week 11

Well, I figured this game to be one of the biggest hurdles. I was afraid my stat of the week was going to be that, between Washington and Dallas, the team with a worse record at the end of the year actually has a 9-7 record against the "better" team each of the last 8 years. Even in Jimmy Johnson's 1-15 season, that one win was against the Skins. The NFC East is just a big rivalry that I see as the best in the NFL followed by the AFC West. So far, we are 4-0 in the East with only 2 more games to go, so that's saying a lot.

The biggest thing I've seen is our poise when we are behind and finding a way to win. It starts with all three bad snaps turning into no loss plays. That is where Romo is a real threat. He can turn nothing into something. I would trust him to replay that bad snap play again, if for no other reason than I know that Folk, unlike Gramatica, would slow down the guy that tackled him enough for him to get in the end zone.

We are still on pace for a home field deciding matchup a week from Thursday with Romo's idol Brett Favre and the Packers. Both the Packers and the Cowboys play on Thanksgiving (@ DET and v. NYJ, respectively) and then a week later in Dallas. Yes, I do believe with the experience and domination they are showing, injuries or strange things must happen for the Patriots to get beat in the Super Bowl. But, maybe Belichick's ego of playing Brady and the others enough to break Peyton's TD record and going undefeated will catch up with him and get someone hurt.

I know this sounds repetitious, but as each area of the team gets better, the glaring weakness continues to be Roy Williams covering tight ends as we gave up 89 yds and a TD to TE Chris Cooley. Williams continues to lead the team in tackles (8 this week) because they continue to go his way with the ball.

Talking about injuries, we have got to stay healthy. Our secondary is getting better (in spite of the 348 passing yds they gave up yesterday) as they get healthier. Hopefully Flozell is okay with just a 4-day rest before the Thanksgiving game. We have the Jets who come off an upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers, so we can't just look ahead to the Packers, but this should be a game to get past fairly easy.



Terrell Owens blew up again. He took credit for it by blaming his past coaches for not using him properly, but did give Garrett credit...not for being a good coach, but for giving him the ball...lol. And Romo continues to give TO the credit. That's just what I've been calling for and I love that Garrett and Romo embrace TO like that! TO had 8 catches for 173 yds and 4...count them, 4...TDs. That moved him to 3rd all time and quickly approaching Cris Carter in second. Romo needs just 3 TDs to pass Danny White for the season TD record for a Cowboy. He also needs 1 Super Bowl Victory to make sure he isn't labeled as another Danny White who got the stats but not a Championship like QBs below him on the stat records named Aikman and Staubach.

Stat of the Week: other than TOs obvious big game, 1 TURNOVER (1 INT, 0 FUMBLES)...gotta keep this low because it's hard to recover from them in the playoffs and big games!

family

I've got a good-lookin' wife and kids. Check out our pics by Deerinwater Designs:

Scott & Isha pics

Brooks Family pics

Lean not on Your Own Understanding

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

This is an all too familiar verse that I find myself constantly ignoring. Alisha, working on her Bible verse memorization for Bible Drill yesterday, walks up to me in the middle of a football game and quotes it to me. It was something I needed to hear. I believe I trust in God with most of my decisions and problems, but I don't always take away my "own understanding" in the equation. I want to worry in a way that makes me think I might be actually making suggestions to God about things I think I understand. And with things I don't understand, that worry turns into fear, frustration, and terrible thoughts. You cannot second-guess things because you can't change the past and the future is only secure when you give it to God and then LEAVE HIM ALONE with it.

Second-guessing is also a lack of faith. James 1:2-8 says, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him aski faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. I am double-minded and unstable when I second-guess God, my past, or what God has for me from this point forward. And that isn't productive to those around me--especially my family.

Accepting that "everything happens for a reason" is trusting God... needing to know that reason is going back to leaning on your own understanding.

Thanks Alisha...