Monday, December 19, 2005
Dallas Cowboys..........................7
Washington Redskins..................35
Ugly.
That's the only way to describe it.
No, wait. I got a few more adjectives...
Disgusting. Surprising. Brutal. Foul. Grisly. Grotesque. Hideous. Horrid...
It's not just I thought the Cowboys would win. Heck, I have to give to credit to Joe Gibbs for the way his team prepared and played. I can live with the fact that they lost (which is something I used to have trouble with in the distant past). No, I am disgusted by the way they lost.
Flashback to October 11, 1981*.
That was the last time the Cowboys looked as pathetic as they did yesterday. While they have been beaten as solidly as this at times, this season is different because it held so much promise. Coming off of a huge win the week before against Kansas City, Dallas looked like they were prepared for the stretch drive for the playoffs.
Just like that game in 1981, the team felt confident that they could handle the opponent - the resurgent San Francisco 49ers, whom they had beaten 59-14 a year earlier. But instead, everything that could have gone wrong went wrong, and the Cowboys were whipped 45-14. Incidentally, the loss was the reason they ended up playing in Frisco for the conference championship - a game they had in their hands until Joe Montana drove them 80 yards in 4 minutes, culminating with "The Catch" by Dwight Clark. Perhaps if the would have won the first game, instead of fighting with the fanatical 'Niner fans and the unforgiving turf at Candlestick Park, Dallas would have gotten the opportunity to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI.
But what does this loss really mean? Was it just a bump in the road? After all, while the 'Boys no longer control their own playoff destiny, they can qualify for the post-season by beating Carolina and St. Louis - as long as Washington and Minnesota lose at least one of their last two. Minnesota still has to play Baltimore on the road and the Bears at home. Washington hosts the red-hot Giants and goes to Philadelphia. The Cowboys owns the tie-breaker against Atlanta.
But before they think playoffs, they need to figure out what happened. How could they have played so poorly in such a critical game? Can the psyche of the team be fixed?
I hope it can, but I fear it can't.
Cowboys Report Card
Passing Offense: D-
Unlike some sportswriters, I don't believe Drew Bledsoe was horrible. Two of his three interceptions were tipped up in the air by the intended receivers. We know he's not mobile, but he was never given any time to throw. Four sacks and 14 pressures would throw off even the greatest passers.
Rushing Offense: D-
Without Julius Jones 51-yard run in the third quarter, the running game would have netted just 54 yards on 23 carries - an average of only 2.4 yards per run. Again it appears that Marion Barber is the best option right now.
Passing Defense: D-
The only positive was that Mark Brunell was held to just 163 yards passing. However, the line never got close to touching him and allowed him the time to complete 60% of his passes. Once again, the backfield allowed Santana Moss to beat them deep.
Rushing Defense: F
After only allowing one 100-yard rusher in the first 11 games, the defense has been burned three weeks in a row. Clinton Portis ran at will as the Redskin offensive line seemed to completely overwhelm Dallas. This lead to Washington being able to control the clock - something Parcells seriously preaches.
Rushing Defense: F
It's right to call them "special" - if you mean developmentally disabled "special". In a word, the unit stunk. Matt McBriar - who I have lauded in the past - had by far his worst day as a pro. Billy Cundiff needs to update his resume. He has missed two 34-yard field goals in the last three games. One cost them the Denver game and the other stopped them from stealing some momentum early and set up Washington around midfield, from where they scored in just a couple of plays (and essentially put the game away).
Rushing Defense: F
This was the most anemic showing I have seen from a Bill Parcells coached Cowboys team. Last season, it appeared the team gave up when they went 6-10. This time, with the playoffs in their grasp, penalties, turnover, missed tackles and poor mechanics combined to embarrass them. This kind of play this late in the season is unforgivable. It is apparent that the lost of Flozell Adams early on was a bigger blow than anyone figured. Torrin Tucker and Rob Pettite were exposed as just not good enough. Changes must be made during the off-season if Parcells hopes to right this ship.
This game was as bad as it gets.
1 comments
Washington Redskins..................35
Ugly.
That's the only way to describe it.
No, wait. I got a few more adjectives...
Disgusting. Surprising. Brutal. Foul. Grisly. Grotesque. Hideous. Horrid...
It's not just I thought the Cowboys would win. Heck, I have to give to credit to Joe Gibbs for the way his team prepared and played. I can live with the fact that they lost (which is something I used to have trouble with in the distant past). No, I am disgusted by the way they lost.
Flashback to October 11, 1981*.
That was the last time the Cowboys looked as pathetic as they did yesterday. While they have been beaten as solidly as this at times, this season is different because it held so much promise. Coming off of a huge win the week before against Kansas City, Dallas looked like they were prepared for the stretch drive for the playoffs.
Just like that game in 1981, the team felt confident that they could handle the opponent - the resurgent San Francisco 49ers, whom they had beaten 59-14 a year earlier. But instead, everything that could have gone wrong went wrong, and the Cowboys were whipped 45-14. Incidentally, the loss was the reason they ended up playing in Frisco for the conference championship - a game they had in their hands until Joe Montana drove them 80 yards in 4 minutes, culminating with "The Catch" by Dwight Clark. Perhaps if the would have won the first game, instead of fighting with the fanatical 'Niner fans and the unforgiving turf at Candlestick Park, Dallas would have gotten the opportunity to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI.
But what does this loss really mean? Was it just a bump in the road? After all, while the 'Boys no longer control their own playoff destiny, they can qualify for the post-season by beating Carolina and St. Louis - as long as Washington and Minnesota lose at least one of their last two. Minnesota still has to play Baltimore on the road and the Bears at home. Washington hosts the red-hot Giants and goes to Philadelphia. The Cowboys owns the tie-breaker against Atlanta.
But before they think playoffs, they need to figure out what happened. How could they have played so poorly in such a critical game? Can the psyche of the team be fixed?
I hope it can, but I fear it can't.
Cowboys Report Card
Passing Offense: D-
Unlike some sportswriters, I don't believe Drew Bledsoe was horrible. Two of his three interceptions were tipped up in the air by the intended receivers. We know he's not mobile, but he was never given any time to throw. Four sacks and 14 pressures would throw off even the greatest passers.
Rushing Offense: D-
Without Julius Jones 51-yard run in the third quarter, the running game would have netted just 54 yards on 23 carries - an average of only 2.4 yards per run. Again it appears that Marion Barber is the best option right now.
Passing Defense: D-
The only positive was that Mark Brunell was held to just 163 yards passing. However, the line never got close to touching him and allowed him the time to complete 60% of his passes. Once again, the backfield allowed Santana Moss to beat them deep.
Rushing Defense: F
After only allowing one 100-yard rusher in the first 11 games, the defense has been burned three weeks in a row. Clinton Portis ran at will as the Redskin offensive line seemed to completely overwhelm Dallas. This lead to Washington being able to control the clock - something Parcells seriously preaches.
Rushing Defense: F
It's right to call them "special" - if you mean developmentally disabled "special". In a word, the unit stunk. Matt McBriar - who I have lauded in the past - had by far his worst day as a pro. Billy Cundiff needs to update his resume. He has missed two 34-yard field goals in the last three games. One cost them the Denver game and the other stopped them from stealing some momentum early and set up Washington around midfield, from where they scored in just a couple of plays (and essentially put the game away).
Rushing Defense: F
This was the most anemic showing I have seen from a Bill Parcells coached Cowboys team. Last season, it appeared the team gave up when they went 6-10. This time, with the playoffs in their grasp, penalties, turnover, missed tackles and poor mechanics combined to embarrass them. This kind of play this late in the season is unforgivable. It is apparent that the lost of Flozell Adams early on was a bigger blow than anyone figured. Torrin Tucker and Rob Pettite were exposed as just not good enough. Changes must be made during the off-season if Parcells hopes to right this ship.
This game was as bad as it gets.
1 Comments:
You would think after blitzing so many downs that they would run some offenses to counter that. I didn't see much of any.
By 
, at
12:14 PM
