‘Sabotage’ for Cowboys?

Published 11:32 pm Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Even though I’ve never called any of their shows, I consider myself a loyal listener to SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio.

Whether it’s Dino Costa screaming profanities at callers or Dan Graca making hilariously sarcastic exchanges about life with Sonny from California, MDR is no doubt the most entertaining sports talk platform in America.

And on Tuesday afternoon, the lead for their sports bite news updates provided quite a hilarious series of moments — especially when it relates to the Dallas Cowboys and their ever increasingly Al Davis-like owner.

With Super Bowl XLVII less than two weeks away, the top news story of the afternoon — thanks to the Manti Te’o saga cooling over the weekend — concerned the 48-21 beat down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put on the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII.

According to former Oakland receiver Tim Brown in an interview this past weekend, then head coach Bill Callahan “sabotaged” the Raiders’ chances by changing the offensive game plan at the last minute. Brown has since backed away from those comments, but the kicker to the news update came moments later.

That’s when the sports bite guy delivered the news that most Cowboys fans had wanted to hear — that head coach Jason Garrett had been stripped of his play-calling duties, although Jerry Jones spun things into Garrett receiving some kind of publicly embarrassing promotion. And the guy who would likely be making the calls next season: none other than offensive coordinator Bill Callahan, the same guy who “sabotaged” Brown and the Raiders.

Even though Callahan might as well be a step up from Garrett, I found it profoundly odd and yet so very Dallas Cowboys-esque for both stories involving Callahan to spring up during the same time frame. On a day when former players — including Jerry Rice — questioned Callahan’s offensive decisions in the big game 10 years ago, Cowboys fans were told that much of their journey back from mediocrity would rest in his hands.

It seems to simply be another case of Jerry Jones’ winter of change turning into another winter of much-needed hibernation for America’s Headache.

The offense leans too heavily on the running game? Fire the running backs coach.

The defense gets slammed by injuries? Get rid of the defensive coordinator and replace him with a 72-year-old who just got chased from the college ranks.

Yawn.

Of course, the funny thing is that new Cowboys DC Monte Kiffin and his Tampa 2 happened to be the guys that destroyed Callahan’s offense in Super Bowl XXXVII. So perhaps we might have a few entertaining Mad Dog Radio sports bites when Kiffin and Callahan’s units go after one another during training camp.

And perhaps Callahan will find better success with changing the playbook this time around. And at the same time, perhaps Kiffin’s defense will deliver like his Buccaneers used to.

I can promise this now, though: anytime the Cowboys’ offense struggles against the New York Giants on the road, the song that will simultaneously fill the air at MetLife Stadium will be none other than “Sabotage” by NYC’s own Beastie Boys.

You’re scheming on a thing that’s a mirage

I’m trying to tell you now, it’s sabotage