Category: Cowboys (Page 26 of 55)

It could have gone either way. I think I could argue for an hour on either side of the call. According to the strict interpretation of the rule, it was an incomplete pass, but only if you determine that Bryant was in the act of falling down, and not in the act of stretching for the end zone. My regret, of course, is not that the Cowboys lost. Come on, what’s more fun than another crazy, punch-in-the-gut, let it get away, last second, I’ve never seen anything like that before, reversal of fortune loss for Dallas? It’s delicious. My regret is that it was determined by a video replay.

It would have been a whole lot more fun for Dallas to be awarded first and goal at the one yard line, as originally, humanly ruled on the field. The Cowboys score and then Aaron Rodgers has the ball with four minutes left to win the game for the Packers. On the field. Between the players. Either way it ends, that would have been a lot of fun. I regret that the video replay is so intrusive on the game. I appreciate that, much more often than not, the replays get it right and make things right that were wrong. But is the intrusive nature of the beast worth it? That controversial reversal determined the outcome of the game.

We all know replay isn’t definitive. It’s not always right. It’s actually quite subjective. So, again, is it worth it?

We’ll never know. We’ve all swallowed the lie that because we have the technology we must use the technology. For most people in most all circumstances now, it’s some kind of moral sin to choose not to use the technology that’s available. And, yeah, that’s regrettable on many fronts. There were 22 football players on the field, hundreds of players and coaches and media on the sidelines, and thousands of fans in the stands. Not one person thought Bryant didn’t catch that pass. Only a couple of people in New York who watched it in ultra slow motion from four different angles considered it incomplete. Only after making the very subjective call that the receiver was falling, and not lunging for the goal line.

As video killed the radio star, replay is taking the human element right out of our football games.

That’s the regrettable part. Not that the Cowboys lost.

Peace,

Allan

Just when long-suffering Cowboys fans finally had something to be proud of. Just when a dramatic comeback win in the playoffs had eased the stigma of so many mediocre years and embarrassing finishes. Just when it appeared the dark cloud hovering over the Cowboys was beginning to lift and a bright shining ray of hope was beginning to break…

…the cameras showed us this in Jerry Wayne’s box.

Thank you so much to the Fox Sports camera crew and production staff for catching and broadcasting Chris Christie’s failed high-five / man hug / Jones family noogie. It provided an immediate and much needed boost after I watched Dallas hand the game to Detroit for three hours and the Lions hand it right back. Thank you to every web-site, news and sports media outlet, and blogger for posting the pictures and videos from the owners box. It brings everything back into focus: no matter what they might happen to accomplish on the field, as long as Jerry Wayne is running that team, it must really be embarrassing to root for the Cowboys.

Peace,

Allan

My practice has been that if I can’t say something ugly about the Cowboys, I don’t say anything at all. Hence the silence here since my pre-season game-by-game analysis and forecasts, including my 6-10 prediction for the Cowboys’ record. Just a few hours away now from the unquestioned pivotal game of the Cowboys year, I feel compelled to throw out a couple of opinions. As with Job’s loquacious friend, Eliphaz, I cannot keep from speaking.

First, let’s acknowledge that it is very difficult to get wins in the NFL. Just ask the Saints, the Texans, the 49’ers, etc., It’s tough to get wins in this league. They don’t come easy. And the Cowboys this year have racked up a bunch of wins. With five games to play, they’ve already accomplished more Ws than in any of the last three complete seasons. So, you can’t deny that the team is much improved in many crucial areas. I hate to admit it; but I can’t ignore it. This team, this year, is vastly improved over previous seasons. The offensive line really is the envy of the league. They really do have a running game. (Let’s face it: Romo looks better this year because it’s hard to intercept a handoff!) While the defense has major deficiencies, they are a pack of ferocious head-hunters who fly around the ball and swarm to the action like the great Dallas defenders of the mid-90s. There doesn’t seem to be a selfish player on the team; at least, the overall team-first attitudes are keeping the problem egos in check. And the Cowboys this year are really fun to watch. They’re entertaining. They enjoy playing together. They’re all blocking downfield on every play. They’re having fun. And it translates through the screens into our living rooms. If you’re not careful, you could be caught up into thinking this group actually has a chance to do something grand.

(OK, this is where I take a final stab at writing this group off just like the Cowboys teams from the past 17 seasons.)

I believe they’re going to get beat today. As much as Chip Kelly’s offense is celebrated for its frantic pace and scoreboard-bursting numbers, the Eagles really do run the ball very well with LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles. And, as we’ve already seen, if the Cowboys lose the time of possession battle, they lose. If the Dallas D is on the field for too long, they’re exposed. With the exception of Scandrick and McClain, who’s having a career season, the Cowboys defenders are only marginal players who are being led by a coordinator who’s coaching way, way, way over the talent he has on the field. And they have absolutely no depth. Over the past four games, the Cowboys defense is ranking in the bottom three in the league in 3rd down stops, yards per play, red zone scores, and several other key categories. Other teams are beginning to discover the weakness: if you run the ball on Dallas, you win. And the Eagles run the ball very well.

So, let’s assume they lose today. The Cowboys are now 8-4, in second place in the division, behind in the tie-breaker with the Eagles, with four games to go. Three of those last four games are on the road. They have to turn around to play the Eagles again in two weeks, this time in Philly. And if they lose that game, the only way Dallas qualifies for the post-season is as a Wild Card. Maybe they squeak in at 9-7. The only guarantee is if they go 10-6.

How do you see the last four games playing out?

at Chicago – I don’t know; what’s the weather going to be like?

at Philly – How does Dallas win this one?

vs Colts – It’s a home game but can the Cowboys D stop Luck and the Colts?

at Washington – for the past three seasons in a row, Dallas has needed to beat a divisional opponent in the last game of the season to qualify for the playoffs; in all three years, they’ve lost that game and stayed at home for the postseason. Would you bet on them in the exact same scenario this year?

Bottom line: if the Cowboys lose today, they have to win two of their last four games to guarantee a playoff spot. And that will not be easy. If they win today…

Regardless, I’ll admit again, this Cowboys team is vastly improved and much more fun to watch play. Whether they win or lose today, the game will be close, the atmosphere will be electric, and it will be a blast to watch. But, I think they lose today. And I think the loss today starts the familiar December slide into playoff oblivion.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Allan