Every week during the 2011 NFL season, gridiron expert Hatley Vittitow dissects America's Team and its challengers

ARLINGTON--Last week's game against the Philadelphia Eagles was the first time the Dallas Cowboys have lost by more than four points since Jason Garrett took the head coaching reigns. In fact, the last time they lost by more than four points was during Wade Phillips' last game as head coach--a 45-7 drubbing at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers. With the score at 34-7, it could've been worse but Andy Reid called off the dogs; the occasion nonetheless stirred similar feelings across Cowboys nation.

It's time to move forward. The Cowboys' schedule in November and early December is a godsend. They host the uninspiring Seattle Seahawks (2-5) today, and the overachieving Buffalo Bills (5-2) the next week.  After that, they travel to Landover, Maryland, to face the backpedaling Washington Redskins (3-4), before coming back home to face the disgraceful Miami Dolphins (0-7) four days later on Thanksgiving. To start off December, they'll face a dreadful Arizona Cardinals (1-6) team that hasn't won a game since opening day. This Cowboys' team has the talent to be great, and still has a chance to create some momentum and catch fire. But if they don't take advantage of this favorable stretch, they'll continue to be proven chokers.

Trendy tracks that are also really good.

In which ATG carefully nourishes a monthly playlist of excellent hip-hop that is presently being touted by the streets bloggers. Flip the bass on that office Dell all the way up.


1. French Montana -- Whatcha Want
2. A.Dd+ -- Insomniac Dreaming
3. Kendrick Lamar -- Hol Up
4. Lushlife featuring Cities Aviv -- She's a Buddhist, I'm a Cubist
5. G-Side featuring Johnny Spanish -- Hot Sex and Cold Wine
6. Jackie Chain featuring Big K.R.I.T., Bun B -- Parked Outside
7. Big K.R.I.T., 2Chainz, 8Ball & MJG -- Money on the Floor
8. Jay Electronica featuring Mobb Deep -- Call of Duty
9. Stalley featuring Freeway -- Jungle
10. The Weeknd -- The Birds Part 1
11. Tal B -- Lost Gemz Freestyle
12. Rick Ross -- I Love My Bitches
13. Mr. Motherfuckin' Exquire featuring Danny Brown, Das Racist, El-P, Despot -- The Last Huzzah (Remix)
14. Freddie Gibbs -- Come Come (Kick Drums Remix)

Every week during the 2011 NFL season, gridiron expert Hatley Vittitow dissects America's Team and its challengers.

ARLINGTON--Tony Romo has grown up. 

Five years ago, a kid on the sideline walked around wearing his cap backwards, smiling without a care in the world. Now, a general barks orders to his team. Despite the droning Jaworski hyperbole, Romo has indeed become a coach on the field - directing his teammates where to line up, who to block, and what route to run. He is all business. He's leading by example too; playing through the pain of a cracked rib and punctured lung has inspired Dez Bryant and Felix Jones to tough it out. A year ago, Jones would have spent Monday night nursing his separated shoulder off the field. Instead, he plays through the pain, racking up a career high for single game rushing yards in the process.

This newfound toughness is thanks in part to head coach Jason Garrett. Garrett has set a new way of thinking at Valley Ranch that hasn't been seen in since the Jimmy Johnson era. He makes everyone accountable on the team, and it starts with his stars. Don't expect consummate slackers skating by on their upside to stick around much longer (Martellus Bennett).

Every week during the 2011 NFL season, gridiron expert Hatley Vittitow dissects America's Team and its challengers.


ARLINGTON--Monday night, it's Cowboys versus indians. It's Southwest versus Northeast. It's a battle between the two wealthiest franchises in football. It's also a fight between two legacy teams that have won a combined two playoff games since the turn of the century. 

That doesn't change the fact that this is the best rivalry in the National Football League. Even before the Dallas Cowboys franchise had been established, these teams hated each other. In 1958, Clint Murchison Jr. needed approval from all NFL owners in order to start a franchise in Dallas, but one owner voted against it. It was Washington Redskins owner George Marshall. Murchison ended up buying the rights to the Redskins' fight song, which forced Marshall to approve the expansion team in Dallas if he wanted to keep "Hail to the Redskins" blaring for home games. Since the Dallas franchise was established in 1960, the Cowboys and Redskins have faced off in the regular season 100 times, with the Cowboys leading the series, 60-38-2 record.

Enough about the past. Let's examine the match up.

Michael Stipe and co. called it quits on Wednesday, after several harmonious decades as R.E.M. This is somewhat of a bummer, though it'd be disingenuous to claim any sort of long-standing fandom of a band enjoying its heyday as ATG sucked back pacifiers. But as music fans, there's an inherent need to cover the right bases when landscape changes occur. ATG reached out to the pre-eminent R.E.M. scholar in the field, my buddy Josh Bradshaw:

"Before you start, watch Michael Stipe in this clip from The Adventures of Pete and Pete.

R.E.M.'s career is neatly divided between the IRS years (80-88) and their Warner Bros albums (88'-94/96')...and well, the 'meh' years (94 or 96'-now).

I'd recommend starting with the IRS compilation, Eponymous to see which albums the tracks you like are on, then going from there to explore their '80s work. Murmur's great but I feel it's one of those historically hyped albums that's easily disappointing.

Green, Out of Time, and Automatic For The People are the huge albums. Out of Time is easily the poppiest and most divisive (i.e. the "Shiney Happy People" song). Green's a bit heavier and darker (for R.E.M.) and Automatic is one of the best albums ever recorded by anyone ever.

It gets kinda dicey after that. Monster and New Adventures in Hi-Fi were their last solid albums. Up and Reveal had some good singles but are pretty mediocre. Around the Sun will put you to sleep. If you've managed to get hooked, save Accelerate and Collapse Into Now for last, they are great to end on, but, I dunno, they don't mean much if you haven't heard their previous work."

D.C.'s most famous rapper, Wale, returns with a Maybach Music-backed mixtape, The Eleven One Eleven Theory. A little long, but full of worthy material. Wale is one of rap's good guys, so ATG hopes he rises again with this fall's Ambition. Though, for the most part, ATG dug Attention Deficit.

Kind of a bummer. Not really my bag.