Stripe Hype » Dallas Cowboys

Hue Jackson Close to Being Retained so he Could be OC in 2014

Jason — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 19:26:17 +0000

Jan 1, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson watches his team warm up before the game against the San Diego Chargers at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-USA TODAY Sports

The Bengals have already achieved one of their primary goals heading into this offseason by retaining both of their primary coordinators. Mike Zimmer was a finalist for the head-coaching job in Cleveland, but they ultimately bypassed him for Panthers OC Rob Chudzinski, while Jay Gruden was on a rock-star tour of interviews with seemingly every team in need of a HC, but everyone eventually passed on him.

If the Bengals can a more consistent offense in 2013, it’s very likely it will be the last season for Jay in Cincinnati, as he’s widely respected in NFL circles, and will be nearly impossible to retain for a third-straight offseason. It would behoove the Bengals to already have his replacement lined up, and that may be in the form of current assistant coach Hue Jackson, who already has had three stints as an offensive coordinator with Washington (2003), Atlanta (2007), and Oakland (2010).

He’s already bypassed several OC openings, including gigs with the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets, presumably because he too knows he’s in line to be the Bengals OC next year.

Thank You Dallas

Joe Johnson — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 02:54:45 +0000

Dec 16, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys fan Marshall Keisling (age 9) cheers for his team during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Cowboys Stadium. The Cowboys beat the Steelers 27-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

To start off, I would like to send my deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the horrible tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School. It is a dark time, a sad time, a tragic time, knowing that these 20 kids will never grow up to experience the pleasures of life. My heart goes out to these 26 victims, and it’s hard to keep a dry eye. May they never be forgotten, and as much as football can get this out of our minds for the time being, this is a much more important thing than some football game. In the wake of the tragedy, the players of the NFL played today, many of them with these 26 souls on their minds.

The game today between the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers was incredibly important for the Bengals playoff hopes, and the Cowboys did us a huge favor in defeating the Steelers 27-24 in an overtime thriller. Now the Bengals have a one-game lead in the AFC playoff race over the Steelers. This brings up a great scenario, if the Bengals go to Pittsburgh and defeat the Steelers, we clinch a playoff berth. The Steelers would also be eliminated from playoff contention.

With that said, the Bengals making the playoffs would likely put us against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Foxboro. That, obviously, won’t be easy.

Then again, there is still an opportunity at winning the division. The Ravens are reeling right now, and got flattened by the Broncos. They also still have to play the New York Giants next week and come to Paul Brown Stadium to finish the season. That game at PBS can determine the AFC North winner. Either way, it looks likely that the Bengals will make the playoffs this year, making it a first in 30 years where we put together back-to-back playoff years.

Just remember this, though: not every day is a guarantee. We never know when our last day will be, and we saw an example of that in Newtown, Connecticut. The 26 souls will never be forgotten. I can tell you I am deeply saddened, and like I said, my heart goes out to those victims.

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Cincinnati Bengals: Loss to Dallas is a Momentum-Killer Going Down the Stretch

Alex Peterman — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 22:30:35 +0000

The defeat the Cincinnati Bengals suffered on Sunday did more than just add a number in the loss column. It also has the team headed into a very tough remaining three games on a sour note, and with very little momentum.

The game against the Cowboys was one the Bengals should have won. A.J. Green knows he could have scored that touchdown. Chris Crocker knows he could have had that interception. Likewise, Terrence Newman could have gotten his revenge on his former team with an interception of his own. Marvin Lewis and Jay Gruden could have used BenJarvus Green-Ellis more when they were ahead by nine points.

It was a game of ‘what ifs’ and any one of the could-have-been plays automatically changes the landscape of the game, and possibly gives Cincinnati a fifth-straight win.

It was a also during a week that both the Ravens and Steelers failed to win their respective games. One way of looking at that fact is that the Bengals dodged a season-ending bullet.

Another way of looking at it is that the Bengals could be in sole possession of a wild card right now, with eyes set on a possible division title.

Oh how just one week can change the possibilities of an entire season.

Now, with their game against the Philadelphia Eagles next week, Cincinnati needs to find some way to regain some of the momentum they rode while hot play ruled their November weeks. For looming just ahead are ever-important games against AFC North juggernauts, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

These next three games will make or break Cincinnati’s season, and it’s very possible they miss the playoffs without winning out. With just a single loss, it all depends on things completely out of their control. If that’s not something Cincinnati wants, then they need to figure out how to win again. And that needs to happen sometime before Thursday night.

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