Not Quite A Banner Weekend!

Hello and Happy Monday from cold and drizzly Dallas Texas.

The past 48 hours have been quite the whirlwind. Fun, but a little grueling. Do I speak for many when saying I NEVER thought I'd see the day where David Stern would be in attendance to present and honor Mark Cuban with a trophy, witness a banner getting raised, and oh by the way play the Heat. The very team you defeated-ON CHRISTMAS DAY! Could not have written a better script than that.

Of course it was all downhill after that for the Mavericks. Sunday's game was the 400th consecutive sellout. 447 if you include playoff games.

Dallas had few answers for Miami in what was essentially a blowout. LeBron and Dwyane came to play. Miami led by as many as 35 in the 3rd quarter. Jet Terry played well for the Mavs with 23. The defending champions just looked old. At 34.1 years on average indeed they are.

Some of the questions Rick Carlisle will now get to address are: Who takes the #3 position? Can Lamar Odom take the place of Tyson Chandler? What about the French Connection of Ian/Roddy to infuse some energy into this aged squad? Who's to say? 

Rick Carlisle post game said 'There is much work to be done'. I hope Rick can piece together a masterwork come April. Yesterday was just too painful to watch.

13-2 week with the picks. That was the easy part. Now I have to force myself to be convinced by the boys at Valley Ranch that Dallas has a chance to actually go to New York and win a divisional championship. This is not your 1993 Cowboys and Tony Romo will not pull an Emmitt Smith a la 1/2/94. 

It will not surprise me at all if (should the Cowboys lose this Sunday night) we begin to hear talk about Jason Garrett getting an offensive coordinator like a Tony Sparano or Norv Turner. Personal opinion is all.

Maybe it's just asking too much for expectations to be high in December when every year you play on Turkey Day, get a ten day break, play prime time, and deal with weird scheduled dates unlike other NFL teams not nearly as adorned. There was nothing inspiring about the level of play I witnessed on Saturday.

History will be made tonight when Drew Brees becomes a 5K guy and surpasses Dan Marino on Monday Night Football. Tonight on 'Inside The Game' we'll take a look back at 2011 and look ahead. 2011 indeed was a very memorable year on so many levels.

Make it a great day! Stay dry.

Over and out in Big D.

Mr. Will