NEWSLETTERS

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The beauty of the Cowboys' schedule is that every important question you have about the team will be answered during yet another tough December.

We all remember what happened last year, when the Cowboys culminated their annual December swoon with a 44-6 debacle in Philly with a playoff spot on the line. The Cowboys finished 1-3 in the season's final month and missed the season.

They should get an opportunity at redemption and probably a shot at the NFC East championship in the final month of the season because they will have road games against the Giants and home games against Washington and Philadelphia. There will also be a home game against San Diego and a trip to New Orleans.

We expect each of those teams to get into the playoffs, so if Tony Romo wants to prove he can be the long-term solution at quarterback, he'll prove it with a December to remember. If Wade Phillips wants to prove he can get the job done, he'll prove it in December.

If the Cowboys want to end the criticism and prove they're ready to win a playoff game and compete for a title, they'll do it December.

Q: I agree with your prediction of an 8-8 record for the Cowboys in 2009 mainly because of Wade Phillips' lack of leadership. Judging from the players' reactions to Terrell Owens being cut, it also looks like the locker room is divided and that an anti-Romo sentiment is growing among the players. Is that a valid perception?

Pierre Fréchette, Montreal

TAYLOR: Absolutely. Now, the owner doesn't acknowledge that. Neither does the coach. But if you talk to enough players, it's easy to tell a problem remains in the locker room. Here's the deal with chemistry: It doesn't matter that much when teams are winning. But when they're losing, it matters quite a bit. That's because you have to lean on your teammates and trust them during the hard times. If it can, the team can work through its issues, gather itself and get back to winning. If it can't, you get what happened to the Cowboys last year. This team still needs some healing.

Q: If Roscoe Parrish can be acquired for a fourth- or fifth-round pick, wouldn't it be wiser for the Cowboys to trade for him rather than use that pick on a rookie?

Artis Carroll

TAYLOR: I don't have any problem with the Cowboys acquiring Parrish for a fifth-round pick, if you consider how important kick and punt returns are in today's NFL. Parrish is an elite punt returner with a touchdown each of the last three seasons. He averaged 16.3 yards per return in 2007 and 15.3 in 2008. Patrick Crayton is a solid returner who does a nice job of catching the ball – don't underestimate the importance of that – but is not a game-breaker. He's solid, and there's nothing wrong with that. Parrish is a game-breaker.

Q: Suppose the Jets do come up with a contract containing a "poison pill" for Miles Austin. Are the Cowboys required to offer the same kind of deal or could they come up with a different contract for more years/dollars to counter?

Clark Bell

TAYLOR: Yes, they do. That's the whole point. But that doesn't mean you should automatically assume Austin is leaving. He likes it here and feels confident about his ability to perform. Besides, one Internet report said the Jets have opted not to sign him to an offer sheet. Austin doesn't really care. He figures he's going to get paid sooner or later, and he doesn't want to leave any money on the table. So he might prefer to stay with Dallas this season, have a big year and really cash in next year, as opposed to signing a deal that gives him some security this year but doesn't give him the dollars he could make after a big year in Dallas. He's in what we call a win-win situation.

Q: Tony Romo is a gambler like his idol, Brett Favre. He's the opposite of Mr. Control, Troy Aikman. Not better, not worse. He's just the opposite. I hope they cut him loose more. Yes there will be more turnovers, but as Troy says, it goes with the territory of that style of play. I'm not saying cutting Romo loose will result in more wins because that remains to be seen, but it will just be a lot more fun.

Rick Roe, Rockville

TAYLOR: I love your passion Rick, but the object is to win football games. History says the odds of winning football games increase the fewer turnovers a team has. That's why it matters. You can't consistently win games if you turn the ball over. Romo has a bad habit of doing that. For Dallas to reach its potential, he must stop.

Q: Despite all the talk about T.O. and chemistry, the Cowboys' offense played really well when Kyle Kosier was healthy and struggled when he was not. Do you agree?

Thad Bartholow, Dallas

TAYLOR: I see your point, but I don't think we can automatically make the correlation between Kosier's spot in the lineup and how good or bad the offense played. Yes, he played better than Corey Procter and Montrae Holland, but we don't know yet what that really means. He's a good, solid player. No more, no less. That said, the Cowboys need to draft some offensive linemen who can play – something they have done a poor job of doing over the years.

Q: Montrae Holland looked pretty good to me during his short stint in the lineup last year. As a matter of fact, I thought the run production improved on the left side when he played. Does he have a chance at winning the starting job in camp if he outperforms Kosier, or will salary once again prohibit the best player being on the field if he performs at that level?

Rick Hayes, Atlanta

TAYLOR: I'm not sure which games you watched, but I'd say it was indictment of Holland that he couldn't beat out Procter for much of the season. Maybe, we can blame it the fact he never got comfortable after the Cowboys acquired him in training camp. In limited playing time last year, he was average at best. Now he'll have an entire off-season and training camp to try to beat out Kosier for the starting job.

Q: I'm curious: What does Romo's having charisma have to do with him being a successful quarterback. Charisma is important if you're running for office, but how is that important to men on a football field? If you said leadership, that's one thing. Charisma is important if you're trying to impress a girl. I couldn't care less about his charisma. I'm concerned about his December and January record and quarterback rating

Prentice L. Freeman Jr., Milwaukee

TAYLOR: I disagree, but I think we're on the same wavelength. Part of being a leader is having charisma. People followed Michael Irvin because he had charisma. They liked being in his presence, so they followed him. If they had left it at what he did on the football field, then everything would've been great. Ray Lewis is a charismatic leader. There's something about his aura that makes people want to follow him. To me, Romo has charisma on the football field. When he's playing well and having fun and smiling, then I think his teammates want to get behind him and follow him. He has to work on the other aspects of leadership. It's not easy, but it must be done.

Q: The players don't trust their game plan or their leadership. Maybe it is time for Wade Phillips to go.

Robert Bogeman

TAYLOR: Obviously, I think the Cowboys should've fired Wade after the season. It didn't happen, and he has vowed to elicit change on the team. He also needs to change. This team is devoid of leadership, which is why it needs Phillips to be a leader. If he can change, there's hope for this team. If not, well, you saw what happened last year.