Cowboys Season at Crucial Point

This weekend the Cowboys will roll into Philadelphia with both teams sitting at 5-2 and sharing a portion of first place in the NFC East. The winner of the game will take sole possession of first place in the division and control their own destiny with half of the season left to play. Not to mention if the Cowboys can come out with a victory they will have won back some of their pride that they lost after the Eagles took that away last year with a 44-6 beatdown to keep them out of the playoffs. All of that is surface level stuff though when it comes to this game. If you dig a little deeper this game carries more implications than just the basic standings and revenge aspects of it.

There are 4 people that this game should be especially important for.

1-Donovan McNabbDonovan McNabb. Two of the most under appreciated quarterbacks in the NFL will be lining up under center during this game. Dallas and Philadelphia have some of the most polar fans in all of football. It's hard to find someone who is neutral about either of them. In Philly they either love McNabb or they hate him. Right now they're tied for first and they love him, but if he plays poorly against Dallas, look for the half of Philly that hates him to become loud once again.

2-Tony RomoTony Romo. Tony Romo went from the golden child to the forgotten child in a lot of Dallas fans eyes last year. Although the transformation happened throughout the year, the game that sealed it was the season finale in Philadelphia. Not only did Romo not have a good game, but he further aggravated Cowboy fans after the game when at the press conference he said,

"I've had a lot worse happen to me than a loss in a sporting event, that's for sure, and if this is the worse thing to happen to be, then I've lived a pretty good life."

If there's one thing that will make this football crazy town angrier than anything it's sounding apathetic about the game of football. Football is life. Correction: Dallas Cowboys Football is life. This town eats, sleeps, and breathes for the Cowboys. Being the quarterback of the Cowboys is a privilege and if you're not going to treat it as such, then pack your bags.

They fail to recognize the fact that after that same game, he had collapsed in the shower from the pain of the beating he had just taken. Or that Romo was so banged up that had the Cowboys won that game, he would not have been able to play in the next playoff game. Or that after that now infamous interview, he had to have two PR guys help him off the podium because he was in so much pain. (http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/news.cfm?id=FCD30BD8-D828-CC34-156633F83354903C)

No, what the fans focus on is the one small quote from a much larger interview which allowed them to take out all of their frustration on Romo.

So obviously this game is huge for Romo. If he performs well in this game and comes out with a victory, not only will he redeem himself for the loss at the end of last year, but will be able to silence some of his critics...at least until his next loss.

3- Roy WilliamsRoy Williams/Jerry JonesJerry Jones. This duo will be on this list every week until Roy has a breakout game. Each week that goes by where Miles AustinMiles Austin outperforms Williams by leaps and bounds makes that trade look worse and worse and worse. Roy Williams was great at Texas, and managed to make a pro bowl playing in the football purgatory that is Detroit, so why he cannot manage to fit into this offense simply doesn't make sense. Either way, Jason Garrett needs to find a way to play to Williams' strengths, and Williams needs to find a way to start making plays.

4- Wade PhillipsWade Phillips. Many people in the media and many in the fan base did not believe Wade would be back to coach the Cowboys this season. Many people, including myself, thought it was a mistake to bring him back. I thought that we would just have to suffer through one more season, wait it out, and then bring in "a real head coach" after this season. My personal choice would be either Cowher or Shanahan, although Holmgren and Gruden's names have been discussed as well. But Jerry stuck by his guy and Wade Phillips and company are now sitting at 5-2 and tied for 1st place.

I stand by what I said previously, I don't think Wade Phillips is the long-term solution at head coach for this football team. This team needs someone who will be a strong leader, and won't let Jerry push him around. I'm not sure Wade Phillips is either one of those things.

However, this team has continually gotten better as the season progresses. They are 5-2 now with a chance to win sole posession of first place in the division. If they win this game, it not only gives credibility to the team as a legitimate playoff contender, but it gives credibility to Wade Phillips as a legitimate head coach. If the Cowboys continue to play at a high level and win a playoff game or two, it's going to be incredibly difficult to fire Wade Phillips. Now isn't that a catch-22 as a fan? If they have a great season then they give Wade an extension rather than hiring one of the big coaching names out there this off-season. However, if you want one of those established, proven winners of a head coach in here that means that something would have to take a turn for the worse for the Cowboys this season. It would be a dream come true for me to see Bill Cowher or Mike Shanahan on the sidelines as coach of the Cowboys next season, but how can I possibly root for that knowing that I would have to root against the successes of this season?