Chicago will most likely hang out to the No. 1 seed.  Miami or Boston will have the two and three slots, and Orlando has locked up the fourth.

It’s hard to imagine anyone other than one of the above four teams making it to the NBA Finals.  On the broad shoulders of Dwight Howard, the Orlando Magic will be looking to make its third straight appearance in the Conference Finals, and its second Finals appearance in three years.

The run in Orlando with D12 has been a success so far, even though falling short of the ultimate goal.  However, how much longer is Howard looking to stick around town?

How long will Howard's run in Orlando last? (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)

Should I stay or should I go?

With Lebron James making The Decision this past summer to take his talents to South Beach, the expectation is that Dwight Howard will follow James’ footprint and leave Orlando in the summer of 2012.

First off, it is not a foregone conclusion that Dwight Howard will bolt out of Orlando in 2012 — the year he can opt-out of his contract.  Some are already claiming that he’s as good as gone to Los Angeles, just like Shaquille O’Neal back in ’96.  However, Howard isn’t looking to sell out like Shaq was with movies and rap albums.

However, it also is not a foregone conclusion that he will resign with Orlando either.  Despite recently being on the Jimmy Fallon show saying that he wanted to stay, calling Orlando a “beautiful city,” there is a chance that Howard leaves if he feels Orlando does not give him a good chance to compete for a championship.

For the sake of argument let’s agree that Howard genuinely wants to remain in Orlando and will resign if he feels they are contending, or will soon contend for a championship.

The question now becomes, can the Orlando Magic realistically compete for a championship with their current roster?

No one knows for sure, but from what we have seen so far this season, the answer seems to be pointing towards no.  While the Magic remain a team that can beat anyone in the NBA on any night, they cannot seem to beat elite teams with any consistency.

Too many mental mistakes.  Not enough effort on the defensive end.  Sloppy and careless mistakes.

In Orlando’s defense, they revamped their roster just a month and a half into the season.  Chemistry and cohesion take time, and if they find it in the playoffs, they will be a tough team to beat with the Superman manning the post down low.  It’s just hard to suddenly flip on a switch, when the switch hasn’t been turned on very much of the season against elite competition.

(Costly) Familiar Faces

The Orlando Magic lineup consists of the best big man in the league surrounded by role players, with possibly one or two B-list players capable of taking a game over if necessary in Jameer Nelson and Jason Richardson.  Orlando also has the third highest payroll in the league at $89 million.

Of this third highest payroll,  11-of-13 of the players currently on Orlando’s roster are under still under contract with the Magic for the 2012-13 season.  Only Jason Richardson and Malik Allen are not under contract to return with Orlando in 2012.

With this, means Orlando’s cap-space is tied up as well in the returning players.

The Magic are committed to over $75 million for the 2012-13 season.  At the top of the list not named Howard are Gilbert Arenas and Hedo Turkoglu.  Arenas will be making nearly $21 million, while Turkoglu will be making $11.4 million.  That is over $32 million on two players that are giving Orlando a combined 19 points in 55 minutes per game so far in 2011.

That is not enough for a championship contending team.

Gilbert Arenas is shooting just 33-percent in 22 minutes this season. (Photo by Fernando Medina - NBAE/Getty Images)

Factor in Arenas’ 33-percent field goal percentage, his on-going knee issues, and poor decision making; combined with an aging and step slower 32-year old Turkoglu and you have quite possibly the most overpaid duo in the league come 2012.

And without making salary cutting decisions, the Orlando Magic will not have the needed cap-space to sign a free agent — or two –who can match and most likely exceed the production received from Arenas and Turkoglu come 2012.

Take away the $32 million invested in cap-clogging dollars, and you have enough to sign a max-level contract in free agency to pair with Dwight Howard.  Deron Williams will be an unrestricted pickup, and Chris Paul could opt out of his deal in the summer of 2012 and become a free agent as well.  Anyone else see a CP3/D-Will and Howard pick and roll as nearly unstoppable?

If have the needed cap space to woo an elite free agent such as Williams or Paul to come ball with Dwight Howard I don’t think it would be a hard decision for them.  There is no state income tax in Florida.  And besides the money, every point guard wants to play with a big man like Dwight Howard.  There’s a game played, “Go get it” off the pick-and-roll, and Dwight is one of the best in the game at it.  Chris Paul turned Tyson Chandler into a monster back in 2008 because of it.

A sign and trade would also be a possibility as well, as evident by Orlando doing this exact same thing with Turkoglu two seasons ago when they didn’t want to pay him a ridiculous salary — to which they are paying right now.

Bad Contracts

The problem is getting rid of that money.  Arenas has three years remaining with $60 million due, and Turkoglu also has three years left with $43 million owed.  Who is going to want to take on that money and time frame?

There probably will not be too many teams knocking on the door unless Orlando would essentially want to give away Arenas or Turkoglu for a far lesser player with an expiring contract.

But it’s either that, or roll with the same squad they have right now for the next two to three seasons. And in doing so, banking on Arenas and Turkoglu to be your X-factors along with Jameer Nelson in order to seriously contend for a championship and keep Howard.

Perhaps Orlando has to temporarily flop before they can fly?

Miami took a similar approach in 2009-10 and coasted the regular season with decent talent and one star player in Dwayne Wade.  The Heat went 47-35, only to lose in the opening round to Boston, 4-1 before signing Lebron James and Chris Bosh in the offseason.

Does anyone think Wade would have stayed in Miami had the Heat not been able to sign either Lebron or Bosh?  It seems highly doubtful Wade returns with a lineup returning 11 of the 13 players from the 2009-10 Heat that gave him little help.

Cost Cutters

If Orlando does not go on a serious run in the NBA playoffs they need to cut costs immediately in the offseason.

If they want to retain Dwight Howard and realistically contend for a championship, they need to concede a year of telling themselves they are contending for a championship.  Cut the salaries in the 2011-12 season at all costs and pick up as many expiring contracts as possible.  Coast through the regular season and hopefully get a mid to late seed in the playoffs.

With that, you have the needed cap space to woo an elite free agent to come play with Dwight Howard in Florida and give the Magic a better and more realistic chance of winning a championship.

Will general manager Otis Smith and head coach Stan Van Gundy stay put with their current roster to entice Howard?  Or will they try to cut salary in order to obtain an elite player to pair with Dwight?

One thing is for certain.  None of this will matter if Orlando can get hot in the playoffs.  As poorly as the Magic have played at times this season, when they are a team that are capable of beating any team in the league n a seven-game series when playing their A-game.

The great part is that we have the next two months to sit back, watch and find out during the NBA playoffs.

It’s what makes sports so great.

I’m sure we can all remember our favorite sporting event.  Mine was being at the 2010 Orange Bowl in Miami and watching the Iowa Hawkeyes defeat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for the first BCS bowl win in Iowa history.  That is a memory that you can never take away from me.  I also made sure to record plenty of video of it too.

The identity we have to our favorite teams cause us to feel such highs and lows from the outcomes and performances of our favorite teams.  I still get chills every time I watch this video from the 2010 FIFA World Cup:

That’s just 100% pure joy and emotion that might not ever be replicated again.  Some fans don’t even wait until the end of the game, or a game-winning shot to let out their emotions.  They just wait silently until the 10th point is scored in a basketball game, a tradition at Taylor University:

You always hear coaches and players thank the fans, and while it sounds cliche, it’s because it is.  But there is truth behind it.  Without us fans, these guys would essentially be playing by themselves in an open gym, field, or diamond.  It doesn’t matter what type of fan you are, if you support a team with either emotional resources or financial resources, you’re part of what makes the role of sports what it is today.

So next time you go to the stadium and arena and are idolizing the players performances, just know that you too play a part.

1.)  Dallas at Indianapolis — What was once supposed to be a Super Bowl preview is now a battle between teams trying to make the playoffs and fighting to be .500.  Indy is sitting at 6-5, and with a loss would put itself behind the Jaguars in the AFC South and with potential to miss the playoffs altogether.  Dallas’ season has been over for weeks.  However the honeymoon era with Jason Garrett at the helm is still underway.  If not for a late-game fumble by Roy Williams Dallas would be 3-0 with Garrett as head coach.  Even with Jon Kitna as quarterback, look for the Cowboys to continue to play to their potential.  Peyton Manning has struggled against 3-4 teams in the past to distinguish various blitzers.  Dallas might give up some points, but look for them to come out victorious 34-31.

Jon Kitna has played well in the Garrett Era (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

2.)  New York at New England — This is going to be some great football to watch on Monday night  The polar opposite head coaches, the established quarterback vs. the up-and-comer.  Both teams are 9-2 heading into the game, and the winner has an expected 80-percent chance to win the AFC East.  Bill Belichick is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, but I like Rex Ryan and the Jets in this game 24-14.  The Jets have the attitude and confidence to go into Foxboro and snap Tom Brady’s NFL record 25-game home winning streak.

3.)  Pittsburgh at Baltimore — The Sunday Night Football battle on NBC will be a primetime game worth watching.  The Steelers and Ravens are a dead-even 8-8 in their past 16 games against each other.  Some people like to watch shootouts between teams like the Colts and Saints.  Eff that.  Give me teams like the Steelers and Ravens going at each other every single time.  Players like Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, LeMarr Woodley, and Troy Polamalu make defense fun to watch.  That being said, both teams can put points up on the board.  Ben Roethlisburger and Joe Flacco can sling the rock.  Flacco and Lewis out-duel Big Ben and Polamalu and win 21-17.

4.)  Atlanta at Tampa Bay — This game might be the biggest surprise of the season.  Atlanta is sitting at 9-2 with Tampa Bay right behind at 7-4.  If you would have told me Atlanta would be going into this game tied with the best record in the league, and that Tampa would be contending for a wildcard, I would have said you’re crazy.  But that is the reality.  Head coach Raheem Morris has done a great job in Tampa Bay, and second-year quarterback Josh Freeman is a prime example of a quarterback who wins football games.  He continues to make plays and get things done.  However, Atlanta is the better team, and while it will be a tough battle, Atlanta squeaks by with a 28-27 win.

5.)  Oakland at San Diego — The Chargers look to make it 19 straight in December games.  I liked the Raiders to win the division this year at first, but Philip Rivers has proved to be the best quarterback in the league, and made me look stupid in the process.  The Raiders still are a competitive team, but my Oakland pick was more or less an insult to Rivers and the Chargers than it was any due praise for the Raiders.  The Raiders might make the game competitive, but Rivers and San Diego will continue to roll.  I’m going to say 35-14.  Go Chargers, go.

Well, if you’re a Chargers fan, there’s more good news coming.  According to Michael Signora of NFL Football Info, the San Diego Chargers have won an NFL record 18 straight games in the month of December.  The mark is also shared with the 1970-74 Dolphins, who also won 18 games, those in the month of November.

So what does that mean?  With the Chargers already having the best quarterback in the league, now combined with the fact that the Chargers absolutely own the month of December, we will most likely see a supercharged Chargers team come out in the following weeks.

The return of Vincent Jackson will help the Chargers catch their annual December hot-streak. 18 straight wins and counting. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

Rivers also has top-targets Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson at his disposal, that he did not have earlier in the season.  Jackson hasn’t played all year due to a holdout and a suspension, and Gates missed time as well with nagging injuries.

The Chargers have two games coming up in the surprising AFC West.  They host the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, and the Kansas City Chiefs will visit San Diego the following week.  If history tells us anything, it’s that the Chargers play their best in December.  It isn’t looking too good right now for the Chiefs and Raiders, two teams who sit at 7-4 and 5-6 respectively.  The AFC West is essentially a two-team race between Kansas City and San Diego, although my preseason favorite Oakland Raiders have an outside shot as well.

While the Raiders and Chiefs may have a shot, it doesn’t appear to be a very good one.

According to the 2008 APSE-Report Card, there is a serious lack of ethnic diversity in the sports media.

Findings of the report card show that on average, whites account for 89.4 percent of the following job titles in sports media — sports editors, assistant sports editors, columnists, reporters, and  copy editors.

For a sporting world in America that is largely made up of African Americans, how can there be such little ethnic diversity in the jobs that cover these athletes?  Are we in the sports media not giving non-whites a fair chance?  I do not believe that to be the case.  While America is far from perfect regarding race relations, there has been progress made.  While it might be a small factor, there is little reason to believe that  racial discrimination is largely responsible for such a disparity between whites and non-whites in sports journalism.

Are non-whites just simply choosing to pursue other avenues in life besides those in sports media?  Quite possibly.  But why wouldn’t they want to be involved with the sports that are made up of their fellow race?  I don’t know.  I do not have an answer for that, as I am a white male.  But something just isn’t adding up here

Jason Whitlock, an African American sports journalist is one of the best in his craft.   Michael Wilbon is another African American who is one of the better sports journalists out there today.  Aren’t non-white kids and teenagers seeing this and wanting to be like Mike off the court, if they can’t be like Mike on the court?

Michael Wilbon, an Afican American sports journalist, is one of the more popular sports journalists in America. There should be more.

After all, if a large percentage of athletes in the United States are non-white, wouldn’t non-white reporters, editors, and others in the sports media world share a common bond?  This is not to suggest that race plays a factor in the quality of one’s work.  Far from it.  However, it is also realistic to admit that athletes would relate better to Stuart Scott than they would Skip Bayless.

For the sake of argument, let’s assume Scott and Bayless are equal in what they do as a sports journalist.  Wouldn’t Scott be better at relating to the player and asking better questions, thus hopefully getting better answers from the person being interviewed?  As previously stated, this is assuming that all other factors are equal in the perfect world — which rarely happens.  Being white or non-white obviously does not make you a good or bad sports journalist.  There are too many other factors.

But still.  Wouldn’t having a more diverse base of sports journalists both indirectly and directly improve the product due to the personal relationship phase of sports journalism?

Yes and yes.

An increase in ethnic diversity is needed to both potentially increase the quality of modern day sports journalism, and to also give non-whites opportunities in sports journalism.

It may be still a predominately white business, but at least there can be some color in it as well.

So far this season, Rivers has not only proved to myself and others that he is an elite NFL quarterback, he has proved that he is the best quarterback in the NFL in the 2010 season.  Rivers has passed for 3,362 yards and 23 touchdowns, both of which would lead the league if not for Kyle Orton’s 3,370 yards.

Philip Rivers has been the best quarterback in the NFL in 2010. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

But what makes it even more impressive, is that Rivers has done all this without his number one option Vincent Jackson.  He has also had his other targets Antonio Gates, Malcolm Floyd, and Legedu Naanee for extended time.  Patrick Crayton, who was acquired from Dallas via trade, will be out for awhile with a dislocated wrist.

And yet he’s still second in the league in yards, and tied for first in touchdowns?  Are you kidding me?  While he did get Antonio Gates back in the Chargers win over the Colts on Sunday night, what he has done this year with limited receivers is outstanding.  It will only get better as he has standout holdout receiver Vincent Jackson coming back from suspension.

For me, it’s a two-way race for the remainder of the season between Rivers and Mike Vick for MVP.

The Chargers don’t have the defense or running game that they used to have, but if they’re going to go anywhere this season, it’s going to be completely on the arm of Rivers.

As good as Rivers has been in 2010, he could get a chance to get back to the AFC Championship game, and earn the right to talk some real trash.

You can’t fix stupid, and that is exactly what has been plaguing the Dallas Cowboys for the 2010 season.  Simple tasks such as snapping the ball, punting the ball, and protecting the ball with two arms while trying to ice the game seemed to go over the heads of Dallas players.  Let me be clear when I say this is NOT an example of poor coaching.  I fully trust and believe in Jason Garrett as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys now and into the future.

While you have to give Dallas credit for battling back from an 17-0 deficit and nearly defeating the defending Super Bowl Champions without their starting quarterback, the fact is they lost the game due to stupid mistakes — the same type of mistakes that got Wade Phillips fired.

Again, the game is NOT a reflection of Jason Garrett.  The level of play from his team been up since taking over as head coach, and the mistakes have went down.  At some point you have to lay blame at the feet of the players.

Like Andre Gurode seemingly STILL not knowing the snap count.  Even Troy Aikman said he has never seen a center in the National Football League have the mental lapses Gurode has playing center.  How many times have we seen a poor or mis-timed snap from Gurode?  This time he didn’t have Romo to bail him out.

Or Pro Bowl punter Mat McBriar who bobbled a clean snap and botched a punt on 4th down from the New Orleans 35 yard line.  Rather than attempt a 53 yard field goal, Garrett decided to punt the ball and pin New Orleans deep.  Poor execution foiled this strategy.

Or Terrence Newman sitting on Robert Meachem and watching him blow right by him for a 55-yard gain on 3rd down with under two minutes remaining.

Roy Williams' fumble with Dallas leading by four points was a large contributor to Dallas losing on Thanksgiving.

Or best yet, Roy Williams for not securing the ball with two hands after catching a 3rd and 6 pass at midfield and racing down the field, splitting two defenders to  his left and right.  With Dallas up by four points, rather than securing the ball and going down, Williams got greedy and tried to score a touchdown.  The Saints cornerback Malcom Jenkins stripped the ball out of Williams left hand, and New Orleans recovered on the Dallas 10 yard line with just over three minutes remaining, down by four.

A little over a minute and five plays later, and the Saints re-took the lead, 30-27.

The change of culture is underway in Dallas.  Garrett has done more in three weeks than Phillips did in eight in Dallas in 2010.  But the amount of stupid plays and penalties in Dallas is on the players, not the coaches.

However, the sliver lining in this, is Garrett is a coach who will hold his players accountable.  As long as the mistakes do not continue, things will be fine.  After all, it’s not like a 3-7 Dallas was going to do anything this year anyway.  If the same players keep making the same mistakes, they will not be in Dallas anymore.

While stupid plays were ultimately Dallas’ undoing, progress is being made, as long as the same stupid mistakes are not made again.

There is a change of culture underway in Dallas, but no matter how much is changed, you can’t fix stupid.  The Cowboys just have to hope the players take things upon themselves and find ways to do simple football tasks such as snapping a ball, covering a receiver, or protecting the ball with two hands.

First Lions rookie Ndamukong Suh is criticized for being a dirty player for viciously slamming Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme to the ground in his first game.  He stated after the game that he was not a dirty player.  Well it sure looked dirty.  And in a way I kind of liked it.  Suh showed from day one the mentality he brings to the field, that is of an absolute monster…you better bring your lunch pale if you’re going to line up across from him.  Off the field, every report is that he’s as nice as can be.

But now, he is claiming he isn’t a dirty player by…apologizing for pulling Cowboys running back Marion Barber’s hair.  Yeah, seriously.  Pulling hair isn’t dirty, just not what you’d expect from the physically imposing beast that is Suh.

Marion Barber might want to tuck away the 'locks

It’s Barber’s own fault he hasn’t visited his barber lately.  He is an offensive player, and having hair that long is just asking for trouble.  At least Troy Polamalu is a defensive player…he can’t get yanked down by his own locks.  Well, normally.  But Larry Johnson made sure to give it a try.  But Marion Barber?  Marion, come on.  You’re running back.  You had to know you were going to get it yanked, just not from a defensive tackle like Suh.  You’d think that would be something that Deangelo Hall would pull, or some other corner who makes business decisions hates to tackle.

So is Suh a dirty player for grabbing hair?  Not at all.  Maybe just taken down a notch on the man-scale for being a defensive tackle and using hair tactics.

The Lions are 2-7, which sounds like a poor record.  But perhaps this is just the year for 2-7 teams like the newly rejuvenated Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions are out to prove the old Bill Parcells saying wrong.  Maybe you aren’t what what your record says you are.

Even at 2-7, the Lions have out-scored their opponents in 2010. Yeah, they’ve out-scored their opponents 215-202, and they’re 2-7?  Yeah, sucks doesn’t it?  But what else do you expect?  The Lions are the only NFL franchise that has been in existence for every one of the 44 Super Bowls and has never attended the big game.  So we’ve got a 2-7 team that has out-scored its opponents, including wins of 38 and 12 points.  However, they’ve dropped the close ones, including two losses by two points, two losses by three points, one loss by five points, and another loss by eight points.

Lions rookie Ndamukong Suh laughs at Santana Moss while returning a Rex Grossman fumble for a touchdown.

The good news for Detroit fans is that this franchise is legitimately on its way up.  Everywhere you look on the team, a legitimate playmaker is there.  When Matthew Stafford is healthy, he has the ability to be a very, very good quarterback.  Calvin Johnson might be the most physically gifted wide receiver.  Tight end Brandon Pettiegrew has the potential to cause serious matchup problems, and running back Jahvid Best has the breakaway speed to be one of the most electrifying backs in the league.

On the defense side, free safety Louis Delmas has proven to be a playmaker after being selected in the 2nd round of the 2009 NFL draft.  He returned an interception 101 yards his rookie season for a touchdown.  Also on defense is rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. I don’t think I need to say anything else.  The motor and intensity that Suh plays with is contagious and spreads throughout the entire defensive unit.

So while the team might be 2-7 so far this year and the glass looks half-empty this year, the glass really is half-full going forward.

The next step is a matchup against the 2-7 Dallas Cowboys in a battle of 2-7 teams that could easily be 5-4.

They have found one in intern head coach Jason Garrett — and the media is drinking the Cowboy Kool-Aid once again after just one game.

Head coach Jason Garrett celebrates with Jon Kitna during the Cowboys win over the Giants in Garrett's first game as a head coach.

Head Coach in Waiting

For the few who do not know the story, a quick refresher.  Garrett comes from a family of coaches, and his father Jim was a scout for the Cowboys.  Garrett played backup quarterback in the league for 12 seasons.  Always a student of the game, Garrett often watched from the sidelines, essentially training for a gig in coaching.  He got in in 2005, when the Miami Dolphins hired him as the quarterbacks coach in Garrett’s first year not playing in the NFL.

He was hired by Dallas as offensive coordinator in 2007, and replaced Phillips midway through the 2010 season.

The Cowboys are the NFL’s laughing stock for the second time in three years.  (2008 was another “Super Bowl or bust season, in which Dallas missed the playoffs altogether)  Sitting at 1-7 and going into week ten, Dallas had the second-worst record in the league behind only Buffalo.  The knock on Dallas was simple — they were an undisciplined team with little attention to detail, who made mistakes and could not play a complete 60-minute ball game.  Many questions arose in Dallas, but talent was rarely one of them.

Sure the offensive line is a bit slow and old, but so is Pittsburgh’s.  You don’t see the Steelers sitting in the basement.  The middle linebackers and safeties for Dallas are a bit below average in their coverage abilities.  So are the Chiefs who are sitting at a very respectable 5-4.  Point is, many teams around the league have done more with less talent than Dallas did in 2010 under the helm of Phillips.

Change of Culture

Garrett has initiated a change of attitude and culture in Dallas.  Attention to detail and the approach to practice has been altered so far under Garrett.  With talent not being a burden, (Dallas arguably has three top-five players at their position in Demarcus Ware, Jay Ratliff, and Jason Witten.   Garrett must both motivate prepare a mistake-ridden club that has little to play for in 2010.  Oh yeah, besides their jobs.  Players on Dallas knew that Phillips would be fired before they would, and their performance on the field did little to say they wanted anything but Phillips out of Dallas.

Garrett brings with him a sense of uncertainty.  Uncertainty in that, if you do not perform, changes will be made.  A phrase that former head coach Bill Parcells used quite frequently was “churning” the roster.  It basically meant if you’re not doing your job, you will be replaced.  Wade Phillips brought with him a “family” mentality, which sounds great, but the NFL is a business, not a family affair.

The playoffs are out of the question for Dallas.  They had their share at the beginning of the season, along with 32 other teams.  Instead of doing what needed to be done, they proceeded to start 1-7 before Garrett finally brought a prepared team to the New Meadowlands and defeated the New York Giants 33-20.

Even without Tony Romo for the remainder of the season, under Jason Garrett the Dallas Cowboys have an opportunity to continue to improve and build off of their second win of the season.  With attention to detail and a stricter attitude enforced, look for Dallas to end 2010 on quite a high note.  Focus and enthusiasm are the two main elements that will best improve this Dallas squad, and Jason Garrett is the man for the job.

Another reason?  Football is a young man’s game.  In following with Bill Simmons Speed Limit Corollary if head coaches over the age of 55 typically do not have the success that younger coaches do.  Why?  Because they’re old, and being the head coach in the NFL is a very time-consuming and high-stress job.  Phillips was 63.  Garrett is 44.

While the Cowboys still have to face teams such as the Colts, Saints, and the Eagles twice, they will at least remain competitive in the remainder of their games.  Garrett finally has the team focused and buying into a system of structure and discipline.

So go ahead and drink the Cowboy flavored Kool-Aid for the remainder of the year.  Just know that the remainder of this season is just the pre-game.  The real party and after party will be the 2011 season when Garrett has an entire off-season and training camp to implement his ways.

But for now Garrett has Dallas fans reaching for another glass of Kool-Aid, which is a needed refreshment in the disaster that is the 2010 season.