12/20/12: D-FW sports chat with columnist Tim Cowlishaw

Here we go. Not quite as crazy as last week when Josh Hamilton had just signed with Angels but plenty of Cowboys, Rangers, Mavs talk plus whatever else you've got.

Haven't really checked stats. Got to think Jason Witten has a shot. If Dez Bryant had gotten started little sooner, he would but too many strong NFC receivers. Do players know how good Anthony Spencer has been at times? Or Brandon Carr? We shall see.

I don't think there's a surprise move of the type that fans would think "Oh THAT's what they've been waiting for" left to make. Can't imagine an Adam LaRoche or A.J. Pierzynski signing will spark that kind of reaction. I think your premise is correct -- throw kids in, see what they have -- without punting on the 2013 season. The team as currently constructed with no addition could compete for 80-85 wins. You figure out what the real needs are early in the season and maybe move from there.

We know drinking will be involved either way, correct? (But no driving). I suspect they will be forgetting about the loss. I think Dallas is going to struggle to stop the Saints offense but they will score points. Certainly they will score a lot more than Tampa Bay did last week (what was that?).

But you have to ask yourself exactly why Napoli's three-year agreement fell apart and the Red Sox are interested now in perhaps a two-year deal. If Napoli failed their physical and is likely to miss more time in the 2013 season, how does adding him at more than 10 million per year really help this club? Rangers may feel like they got the best out of Napoli which was the second half of 2011, and no one is going to see that again.

Yes. If they lose both and finish 8-8, there might be some internal discussion -- which either means Jerry talking to Stephen or Jerry talking to himself -- but then they will bring Garrett back for another season. I think he deserves a playoff-or-bust type season in 2013.

My true feeling as opposed to all these other questions I'm blatantly lying about? I like that. Assuming Griffin is back -- and it looks like he will play against the Eagles -- I have to pick Washington to win that game. Now can the Cowboys sneak in at 9-7? Better hope the Ravens at least show up to play the Giants this week and the Bears continue to slide. Those things seem unlikely, so my feeling is they don't make it.

You are not the only one. We have been seeing more than we need to of both players (and a bunch of others) for some time. The hip pads rule for 2013 could change that. I'd like to think.

It's clearly a stopgap two-year move if it happens. If A.J. Pierzynski is the new leader of the team in the clubhouse as opposed to Michael Young and Napoli and Hamilton (in his own way), I definitely worry about that.

You think 70 teams (and coaches) saying, "We went to a bowl!" is too many? OK, of course it is. I'm fine with 25. And I wish they weren't spread over a four-week period with some random meaningless games thrown in after the New Year's Day bowls but before the BCS title game.