re: Comfort Zones

Sometimes good. Sometimes bad. Good - hiring Jason Garrett as "maybe" the Cowboys Offensive Coordinator, maybe "more." A former quarterback. Vote of confidence for Tony "The Guy" Romo. One of the tried and true from the Glory Days. Never should have let him go.

The bad. Interviewing Norv Turner for Head Coach. Now, granted, Norv has the same three Super Bowl rings as Garrett does, having served as the offensive coordinator for Troy Aikman. Aikman wouldn't be in Canton without him. I understand that. I also get that's the reason why Troy was upset when Norv didn't get the nod and Chan Gailey did in 1994. That all makes sense.

What doesn't make sense is giving this genius of an O.C., another shot at a losing season in Dallas. Let's look at his head coaching record: 1994-2000 - Washington Redskins (don't get me started there) - 49-59-1. Made the the playoffs only once and lost in the second round. Didn't get another shot at the head coach job until 2004 with the Oakland Raiders. He was fired by the Steinbrenner of the NFL after only 2 years and a miserable 9-23 record. And only ONE win in his division. ONE! With a division like the NFC East, where we're traditionally always having to lay it on the line against the Eagles, Giants and Redskins, you don't want a head coach who's only learned to lose.

Now sure, as the 49ers O.C. (again, don't get me started) he's started to turn things around in the Bay area. That's where his true genius is. That's what he was born to do - turn offenses around. He did it in Dallas, he did it in Tampa and San Diego, and he's done it in San Francisco.

But seriously, Jerry, Norv Turner's talent is running only one side of the ball. You want to put him back in the offensive coordinator's booth where his strengths lie, to turn #9 into another #8, and hope that Jason Garrett can do in Dallas what Sean Payton has done in the Big Easy, then by all means.

You want Romo to learn how to win, Jerry. To make it second nature to him, like Brady in New England. But Norv Turner doesn't know how to do that as a head coach. And he will only serve to undo all that Tuna accomplished in the Parcels era - making the Cowboys what the Raiders became under Norv Turner's tenure - a third tier team when they should be a top contender.

Personally, I'm still hoping you talk to #30.

He's certainly talking to you.

Labels: Cowboys

re: MY COKE REWARDS ...MARKETING OR FRAUD?

Coca Cola. Ask my wife. I'm a big fan. Love Diet Coke. So, when Coke announced the My Coke Rewards program, the soda equivalent to "green stamps," I was totally in.

I saw the chance to get a 23" monitor, an mp3 player, or even vacation getaway. But the devil is in the details. You only allow the inputting of 10 codes a day, some worth 10 points (12 packs), others worth 3 (2 litre, 1 litre or 20 oz bottles). From your website:

However, when looking at the point prices for the REALLY good items, the math just doesn't add up.

* Sleek and Stylish 23" Sony Bravia S-Series 20000 points (667 days to earn).
* Enjoy a Weekend Winter Getaway Vermont 22000 (733 days to earn)
* RV America Family Trip 26000 (866 days to earn)
* Free movies for a year from AMC Theaters 10000 (333 days to earn)
* Backstage experience at a concert in the US 26000 (866 days to earn)
* Fashion Week in NYC 26000 (866 days to earn)

Sure, there are some easy ones (subscription to CosmoGirl or 17 magazine about 3 days to earn; Coca Cola TShirt - 8 days to earn; a Ringtone download 1/2 day to earn), but the good stuff, the REALLY good stuff is literally impossible to redeem for.

The rules, however, regarding the time you have to redeem in the promotion just won't allow it:

The current phase of the Program began at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) on February 27, 2006 and is scheduled to end at 11:59 a.m. ET on April 16, 2007 (the “Redemption Period”), but sponsor reserves the right to shorten, extend, modify, or cancel the Program, at its discretion, at any time.

That means you have 440 total days to redeem. If you buy 5 12 packs EVERY SINGLE DAY, you can perhaps make it, but only inputting every single day, you can't miss one. 10 12 packs may buy you a missed day every once in awhile.

But if you consistently buy a 2 litre every day, there's no way mathmatically that you can get anything worth more than a few hundred points.

Great marketing tool, but from where I come from, if you make it impossible for your customers to earn what they want then it's is simply FRAUD.

And that ain't the "real thing."

Just an update from this post. I finally saw the movie. A good and entertaining work of fiction. A MOVIE. But again I have to point out that regardless the theory that is put across for us to think about - what if Jesus had a daughter? - again, what does that have to do with why Jesus was here?

Towards the end of the film, Tom Hanks asks the question - Will this information cause a crisis of faith or a renewal?

Well, does it make his miracles any less impressive? Or his message any less true? Does it mean that he nevre rose from the dead? And most important of all, does it mean his death on the cross isn't what we've been taught to be?

NO. The truth is, God loved us and gave us His Son to die for the sins of mankind. The rest, like the movie and book before it, whether true or not, is simply theater.

re: Old School replacement

Dear Jerry. Well, two weeks afterwards and Tuna is still cooking on whether he's going to return. Fine. He can take all the time he wants. He's worth the wait.

HOWEVER. Should he decide it's time to go back to the analyst's booth where he can have more fun playing armchair coach, I'd like to direct your attention to something a Cowboy alumni said today ...

"Twenty-three straight years as a head coach is very difficult. But as soon as I got enough golf played and started doing all those 'honey-do's,' I knew I was ready to get back in it.

"It's still in my blood. I think I can still coach."

Dan Reeves. Dan "I led the Broncos to the Super Bowl three times" Reeves. Dan "I wore the Star and #30" Reeves. Dan "I won 5 Conference Championships in 12 years" Reeves.

Seriously. The Cowboys made the playoffs every year of Reeves's playing days, reaching the Super Bowl twice. He got to the Roman Numerals three more times as a coach. And he's HUNGRY.

I'm not saying I don't want Tuna to return. I think Tuna is the best Coach we've had since Jimmy and maybe even since Landry. But if Tuna decides to pack it in (spring water, that is) ... I think ole #30 is talking to you, Jerry. And with the Cowboys on the verge and heading to a new stadium which has as it's theme rich, Cowboy tradition. What better way than to welcome an old CowHand back to the corral to run the ranch?

Just a thought.

UPDATE: Well Jerry, the other shoe has dropped. And since Tuna was going to the Senior Bowl, can there be any clearer sign to give Dan Reeves a shot?

Well, although the Cowboys played a much better game, it ended much as many of the Cowboys' games have ended this past 30 days. But shooting ourselves in the foot. Terry Glenn fumbling on the 1 yard line to give the Seahawks' a safety, blown coverage all day which allowed for a deep ball and a go ahead touchdown for the Seahawks, Leon dropping a few passes - that ain't no suprise, and Tony Romo flubbing the hold on a go ahead field goal with a hair over 1 minute to play in a very "North Dallas Forty"-like moment. And with that, Dallas' season is over. One and done.

But in many respects, even though this team finally got back to playing calibre football, their season really ended with the blowout against New Orleans at home a month ago. That's when the heart was taken out of them.

Do we have alot to feel good about? You bet. For even though Tony Romo lost the game for us tonight, we have finally found "the Guy." He's our quarterback. And what he'll take with him into the next season is EXPERIENCE. Riding the mountaintop experience of playing well enough to be chosen for the Pro Bowl his first season as as a starter, and being humbled with mistakes that caused the Cowboys to lose a wild card game when they could've ... should've been the #2 seed in the playoffs. And he's also got playoff experience now. So next year, he'll remember. And that kind of lesson is important when you have a much better change to go deeper in the playoffs than we probably did this year.

So, now what? What do we do looking for the '07 season? Well, first off, Leon gets his handed his hat. Leading the league with 15 dropped passes in the regular season (that's $1 million a drop, Jerry), most in clutch situations. That certainly doesn't get you into Canton, #81, nor does it get Big D a Sixth Lombardi trophy.

We draft safeties and cornerbacks to shore up that badly needed area of our defense. We have a come to Jesus moment about having DeMarcus Ware play cover when he should be rushing the passer, and we decide whether Martin Grammatica can give us much needed stability in the kicking game. I'm betting he can.
And we convince Tuna for one more year in the sun.

On the whole, we have alot to be proud of and alot to hang our head in shame. But we have nobody to blame but ourselves. And the good news is, we can fix that.