As the season draws to a close, many teams are left searching for answers as they prepare to watch the playoffs from home. But what many teams really need, is a heavy dose of the truth à la Jack Nicholson as they look toward the 2013 season. In honor of the 20th anniversary of A Few Good Men, here are five teams that are entitled to know the truth about themselves, but just might not be able to handle it.

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Dallas Cowboys – Tony Romo is not going to take you to the promised land.

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John Froschauer/Associated Press

Tony Romo may have passed Troy Aikman this year to become the all-time leader in touchdown passes for the Cowboys, but unlike Aikman, Romo won’t lead the Cowboys to post-season glory. He’s a great regular season quarterback, but his improvisation and gun-slinger mentality cause too much trouble in the clutch. His talent is unquestioned, but he lacks the mental focus that separates the men from the boys when it matters most – the playoffs.

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San Diego Chargers – Norv Turner isn’t the only source of your problems.

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Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

Sure, Norv Turner hasn’t done the San Diego Chargers any favors in recent years, and was likely the root of the many, many problems plaguing this franchise, but Philip Rivers deserves a healthy portion of the blame as well. He’s played erratically the last few years, giving up costly turnovers in important times. Moreover, his playoff resume isn’t one to run home and hang on the refrigerator. He only boasts a 3-4 record while throwing 8 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Considering he put up those numbers in the playoffs with some of the best teams in the league at the time, it’s no wonder this franchise is in a downward spiral.

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Detroit Lions – Jim Schwartz is not the coach of the future.

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Paul Spinelli/Associated Press

Jim Schwartz may have led the Detroit Lions to their first playoff appearance in over a decade, but he’s not the coach that is going to take them there on a regular basis. Despite their lackluster records, Schwartz’s teams have been loaded with talent; talent that has gone to waste. As of last season, since Jim Schwartz became head coach the Lions have lead the league in personal foul penalties, and were second only to the Oakland Raiders in total penalties. I have a hard time believing those stats will be much better when 2012 comes to a close, especially since Detroit has already accumulated 148 more penalty yards than their opponents this season. A better coach could have united that talent into a consistent playoff contender, which is the sort of coach the Lions should be looking for in the near future.

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Baltimore Ravens – Joe Flacco isn’t an elite quarterback, so stop calling plays like he is.

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Greg Trott/Associated Press

This is not an indictment of Joe Flacco. Flacco is a good quarterback. He’s just not in the same company as the Mannings and Bradys of the world. Baltimore’s undoing is when they rely on Flacco’s arm too much. Flacco can get it done, but this offense goes as Ray Rice goes. The Ravens are 9-2 this season when Rice gets at least 15 touches, and the two losses came by a combined four points. Need more proof? Look no further than Rice bailing Flacco out on the now infamous fourth-and-29 play against the San Diego Chargers. Flacco could be a championship quarterback, if the Ravens let Ray Rice lead the way.

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New York Jets – Mark Sanchez is your franchise quarterback… for now.

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Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

The key phrase in this truth is “for now.” The New York Jets likely won’t be able to trade Mark Sanchez because of his high price tag thanks to the foolish contract they awarded him this offseason. And similarly, they won’t cut him because it would incur them a $17.1 million cap hit. What the Jets need to do, is restock the cupboards with talent through the NFL Draft, and that means not wasting an early pick on a new quarterback. Give Sanchez some weapons so fans don’t say “Who?” every time the Jets complete a pass. And if once the pieces are in place Sanchez still can’t win, then he’ll be easier to move based on the structure of his contract, and a new quarterback should conceivably have the talent around him to succeed if the Jets draft well.

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