December means three things to me: Santa down the chimney, snow on the ground and Tony Romo in the dumpster. The Dallas quarterback is as effective in December as mittens in Miami, which means this is the time of year we discover exactly what quarterback he is.
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| Perry Fewell could make it difficult for the Bills to hire a bigger name. (Getty Images) |
And he is not alone. There are plenty of guys out there with something to prove this month, players and coaches who can save themselves and their reputations by doing something out of character, and if you're ready to listen, I'm ready to call roll:
Tony Romo: In his three seasons as a starter with Dallas he's 5-10 in December and January. Compare that to his 30-7 record the rest of the way, and you know why we have a problem here. The Cowboys had homefield advantage for the NFC playoffs two years ago, and they lost. They went to Seattle the season before that for an NFC playoff opener, and they lost. I sense a trend here.
Dallas hasn't won a playoff game since 1996, with Romo 0-2 in the postseason, but the Cowboys believe this year will be different. Reason: They're on top of the NFC East this season, and Romo has been accurate -- throwing interceptions in only five games. But that's the good news. The bad? In two of the past three games the Cowboys scored no more than one touchdown, a sign that maybe, just maybe, Romo is headed for another deep freeze in December. Of course, I could be wrong. But it's up to Romo to prove it. This, then, is Tony Romo's chance to ditch that Mr. November reputation once and for all.
Perry Fewell, interim coach, Buffalo: The guy is the stand-in for the next gazillion-dollar head coach, with Mike Shanahan at the front of the line. Only I don't think Mike is interested. And I don't think other big-time names are, either. I know Fewell is, and based on what I saw the past two weeks I hope he gets a chance. Buffalo suddenly looks like the team it thought it could be, throwing the ball downfield to Terrell Owens and capitalizing on others' mistakes to -- yes! -- win.
I'll tell you what I like about Fewell: He's not afraid to take chances, which is another way of saying the man has guts. Example: Rian Lindell's 56-yard go-ahead field goal against Miami, tried when the Bills were stalled fourth-and-9 at the Dolphins' 38 and the scored tied at 14. Lindell already had missed a 44-yarder. So why give him a shot? "We needed that spark," said Fewell. So do the Bills. December is Fewell's chance to make a case for himself -- an opportunity to demonstrate to owner Ralph Wilson that the best man for the job is already on it.
Bill Sheridan, defensive coordinator, N.Y. Giants: He hasn't completed his first season on the job, and already the poor guy is drawing more fire than the local NBA teams -- with the New York Post calling for his dismissal following the Giants' disgraceful loss to Denver. I feel your pain, New York. There is something terribly wrong with the Giants' defense, and it starts up front: The Giants' pass rush can't get to the passer. That hasn't happened in years, and it hasn't happened with Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka in the lineup.
Sheridan better figure things out quickly, otherwise he goes out with the old year. Remember when Umenyiora up and left a Sheridan-run meeting in the preseason? Maybe that was the signal that something was wrong. All I know is that December is Bill Sheridan's chance to straighten out a defense that, frankly, looks beyond help and to demonstrate to coach Tom Coughlin he made the right move when he chose him to replace Steve Spagnuolo.
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Alex Smith, quarterback, San Francisco: Once upon a time he was going to be the quarterback to save the 49ers. But he struggled, got hurt, got benched and, basically, looked like a bust. But something strange happened when the 49ers named Mike Singletary their head coach: Alex Smith didn't leave. In fact, he restructured his contract to stay another season, and the move made no sense to me. I mean, if he was going to have a chance to play he would have to have a change of scenery, right? Not exactly.
He's not only playing again, he's winning. In fact, he just produced one of his best games in years. He made smart decisions. He made accurate passes. And he beat Jacksonville. I don't know what happens to the 49ers the rest of the way, but I do know Smith seems to have found himself and gotten the hang of another new offense. The jury is still out on the guy, but if he plays in December as he did Sunday the 49ers have their quarterback for next year ... and maybe the next five.
Wade Phillips, head coach, Dallas: This is the last season in Phillips' three-year contract, so, naturally, speculation centers on his future. Only his future is linked to his past, with Phillips carrying the same baggage as Romo: He hasn't won a playoff game, and if he doesn't win a playoff game this season you can join owner Jerry Jones in playing Name That Coach. But first things first: Phillips must get to the playoffs, and having a one-game lead on Philadelphia doesn't hurt.
The Cowboys must play the Eagles again, and they meet in Dallas, where the Eagles won two of the past three. But that won't happen until Jan. 3, and look at the speed bumps along the way before then: The Giants are up this week; then it's San Diego; and New Orleans after that; followed by Washington and, of course, Philadelphia. December is win-or-else time for Phillips and his Cowboys, and if can survive the month he gets a chance to make a case for himself in the playoffs. Good luck, Wade. You'll need it.
LaDainian Tomlinson, running back, San Diego: I thought he would have a marvelous season. He hasn't. But he's running better now than he has been, and that's an encouraging sign. Because the last couple of years Tomlinson hasn't been himself late in the season, with the star back missing the Chargers' two most important playoff games -- both of which they lost.
There is a perception out there -- a misperception -- that he's soft when it matters most (namely, the playoffs), and that rap is almost too ridiculous to address. Except I heard it again Monday when I was doing a radio interview with a New England radio station. If that's what they're thinking there, they must be thinking it elsewhere. L.T., this is your month to set the record straight and prove how valuable -- no, invaluable -- you are to the Chargers. Tomlinson is one of the best players to pull on a Chargers' jersey and one of the toughest, most reliable players anywhere. He's demonstrated that again and again in the past. Now, he must do it again.
Gary Kubiak, head coach, Houston: The Texans were this year's trendy pick for the playoffs, but after a three-game slide I don't know how they make it. Maybe it happens, but my guess it doesn't. That means it's the fourth straight season of not winning with Kubiak at the helm, and I don't see that going over well with owner Bob McNair.
The Texans are talented and capable of making a playoff run ... only they can't wait any longer, and Kubiak knows it. Heck, his future might depend on it. The Texans travel to Jacksonville this weekend, and if they lose there I know a good realtor Kubiak can contact. December is his month to prove he should stay and that the Houston Texans are --- sorry, Dennis Green -- what we thought they were, which is a good team that should be getting better. Only they're not. They're getting worse, and it's time to press the pedal to the metal, Gary.
Brett Favre, quarterback, Minnesota: I hesitated to throw his name here because of all the Decembers he drove the Packers to the playoffs. But then I remembered what happened last season in New York. Yeah, it was an unfamiliar system and Favre's shoulder was hurting and there was bad karma and all that, but the bottom line is this: Brett Favre failed the Jets when they needed him most -- throwing nine interceptions his last five starts, four of which he lost. No, I don't think we see an encore. No, I don't think Favre breaks down. No, I don't think the Vikings go in reverse.
Still, I want to see him do what he could not last season, and so far, so good. In fact, so far he's at or near the top of the MVP circuit. But the season isn't over. Remember, it was the last five games where Favre fizzled a year ago. December is Brett Favre's month to demonstrate that last year was a fluke and that, unlike any 40 year-old pro I know, he can and will get better as the season gets longer.
