Go for it folks. Down goes Dallas. Down goes Dallas. Truth be told, championship football requires way too much discipline to play as Dallas did. Fans will see a defense that let the team down. I see a team that wasn't especially mentally tough. We all know whose job that is.
As a guy who has been pretty supportive of Wade Phillips and has defended him many times from people who said he wasn't a good coach, I have to say last night was all on him. I can point to several things I feel he did wrong last night.
1. He didn't run the ball enough. Tanard Choice was slicing and dicing the Ravens D and he was the only consistent factor throughout the night. For him to carry the ball only 17 times when he was averaging over 5 yards a pop is just ridiculous.
2. Not enough two tight end sets. When you use two tightends against a 3-4 defense it severely hampers their ability to blitz. Thats something that Wade should know since he has been a 3-4 guru for quite some time. We have a damn good rookie tight end in Bennett and he didn't get much burn at all
3. We use Pacman Jones on punt returns where he is shaky but wait to use him on KO return to the end of the game?! Oh and he only got the ball out to the 50 the one time he touche it on KO return
4. How you don't try an onside kick at the end of the game is beyond me. Yeah I'm pissed about McClain taking it to the house but the truth is the game was already basically over. All the Ravens had to do was make one first down. Even if they had the punt we would have been put in a position of having to score with basically 10 or 15 seconds left
5. Which leads to us run blitzing on first down which takes your safety valve out of play in case a long run breaks which it did.
Now we got physically whupped at the end too. Lo Neal decleated Bradie James and Ken Hamlin is going to have nightmares about being runover by Magahee and stiff armed by McClain. But the truth is the Defense was worn out at that point. We can't keep having all these turnovers by Romo. Times like now show why the Cowboys should have gone out and got a better option at backup QB. I love Brad Johnson for all he has done during his career but he isn't a viable option when Romo is in a rut.
We still have a chance but we are going to need some help and we HAVE to beat Philly and I can guarantee you that the Philly press will be playing up the recent TO stuff and comparing it to his beef with McNabb to try to distract the team this week.
I'm not a Dallas fan, but my wife is a major Ravens fan so we watched the game all the way through and then some last night, so I'll toss my 2 cents in.
Dallas' problem is that Jerry Jones has basically lost it ever since he dumped Barry Switzer. He can't find a coach he likes, in part because no particularly good coach really wants to put up with him. Add into it that he doesn't seem to know how to put a team together, that he undercuts the coach and antagonizes the players constantly. If you're looking for a defining moment in the collapse of the team, you really don't need to go any further than the owner of the team essentially calling the toughest player on the team (Barber) a sissy. I mean how would you react to that if you were in the locker room? You understand how injuries work. You know Barber's a tough guy. And you know that he's got an injury that, if nothing else, limits his effectiveness. But your owner is calling the guy out publicly. I mean, how do you build a positive environment around a franchise like that?
Jerry Jones could learn a lot from (I hate to say it) Robert Kraft. The guy's as active in the business as any other owner, he exerts a fairly high amount of control over the football operations, but during the season he disappears. He shuts up and lets the coaches coach, the players play, and he doesn't undercut his people. And the difference between those two franchises is obvious.
I have my problems with Jerry Jones but I should point out that Kraft lost Bill Parcells because he wouldn't let him help "shop for the groceries" so don't act like he doesn't have his faults too. Its just that after Parcells left he learned a lesson about giving his coach more leeway as he has with Belicheck
Fair enough, but it seems like the operative point there is that Kraft learned his lesson. Jones has had roughly 10 years to figure it out, and is maybe as bad as he's ever been. Which is fine on the one hand because I don't really care for Dallas, but after a while having to listen to this nonsense every time I turn on ESPN just gets annoying.
Jones is the owner so he's responsible for the fate of the team. But this idea that Jerry is somehow worse than other owners is, frankly, ludicrous and not borne out by the facts.
Please read some actual journalism on NFL owners. People see Jerry on the sidelines and think they know the whole story. He isn't great. But he's actually better than most.
Seriously, people need to think about Georgia Frontier, Alex Spanos, Randy Lerner, and Al Davis before they talk.
Seriously, people need to think about Georgia Frontier, Alex Spanos, Randy Lerner, and Al Davis before they talk.
You forgot Bill Bidwell. Or Robert Irsay. Or Danny Snyder. Lots of horrible owners, now and before, many worse than multi-ring owner J-Jones. But it's hard to top Bidwell as the worst.
I don't think he's the absolute worst owner, or even in the bottom half. He's probably in the top 10-12 in fact. But if you're gonna get over the 10ish win, early playoff exit hump he's gonna have to STFU. You can't have a successful franchise if the first thing everyone asks about your head coach is how the owner is going to get along with him. It's like Notre Dame; they're never going to have success as long as they have such constant turnover at the top, and as long as the first question everyone asks when they get a new coach is "when is he gonna get fired." You just can't build like that.
But I do think he flat crossed the line with the Barber thing and (speculating) I'd wager he lost a helluva lot of respect with the players on his team and around the league over that.
Yeah he did cross over the line with Barber but then he back tracked on it and affirmed his belief that the Barbarian is one of the toughest guys on the team. Everybody makes mistakes.
Not surprised myself, but blame it on a, b, or c, while Romo missed on a coupla passes downfield up the middle, what can one make of two all pro receivers and an all pro tight end that can't get open most of the game. The commentators were talking about a lack of offensive game plan (Marshall Faulk probably never played on a team that could like the 90s Cowboys or the 80s Niners just tee it up), but the Cowboys should have the talent to beat even good defenses hat on hat.
The big runs were embarassing, but the first one was one of those kinds of things that happen to all teams; the second one was more inexcusable.
Anyway, Dallas are like the New York Yankees--they have a good if meddlesome owner who really wants to win, but winning is more than the sum of its parts. Interesting that Creighton made the really great catches last night.
They could still win it all, but they probably don't have the mentality to do so. TO has never been on a team that has done so, nor has their coach. "It is what it is" to quote Sterling Sharpe.
The magnificence that is Ed Reed isnt getting nearly enough cred in this thread. He's exactly the kind of unstoppable playmaking safety Romo didnt wanna see today, esp with his tendency to just chuck it down the seam and hope Witten comes up with it.
I doubt even a full-speed, full-health, no distractions Dallas team was gonna beat an angry group of hostile, jackbooted thugs in black and purple coming off that loss to the Steelers.
Giving credit where credit is due, the Ravens aren't a good defense, they are a GREAT defense.
Marshall Faulk was the center piece of the "greatest show on turf" so I am assuming your remark about him not being on a team that could just tee it up is snark.
And the name is Crayton. The problem isn't always the all pros getting open. There were a couple of times where you had guys open that Romo couldn't hit because he was eating a healthy helping of Ray Lewis.
Thats why they should have run the ball more. And thats why after a shaky start the Ravens were able to control the clock and make first downs more, by committing to the run.
Allowing 2 70+ TD runs is obviously bad especially when you know the other team is going to run the ball BUT criticizing the run blitz call is just dopey. First off, they HAVE to stop the other team getting a first down and being aggressive against the run is necessary. Second, they had several opportunities to tackle the ball carrier on both TD's and didn't execute their tackles. #26 was particularly at fault on both runs.
Collins cannot handle this. I just hope we don't let Chris Johnson cut back (like Fred Taylor always would) on us and get some big gains. Titans would be smart to try and let our speedy defense over pursue. If Blitzburgh can squeeze through with another tough win we will be that much more battle-tested. (We do have the hardest schedule in the league) Lets get that No. 1 seed!
But...if we cannot run against their injured defensive line I might get a little worried for the playoffs. I want to see Gary Russell up the middle if Willie and Mewelde cannot hit it up the gut.
As dopey as it might sound, you don't call run blitzes when you have to get the ball back at the end of a game. Go read any defensive coaching hand book and you will see that. I know from personal experience. Its called the "4 minute" situation and there reason you don't call run blitzes is because it opens you up for big runs. A 3-4 defense is inherently situated to be able to stop most runs for less than 3 yards. As a defense you actually WANT the team to run the ball 3 times, stop them short and get ready for punt return. Its the same reason you don't blitz on 3rd and long when you have to get the ball back. The Cowboys had done pretty good on stopping the run with just their base calls most of the night. What in hell is stopping them for a one yard loss gonna do to help the Cowboys win? Not a damn thang.
I understand how playing video games or watching on Tee Vee it might seem like a run blitz is the way to go but the reality is its not because you create a situation where if just one guy doesn't do their job you have a big play. Of course with the Cowboys several guys didn't do their job. But if they were in base defense that would have been maybe a 3 yard game instead of a house call.
Not to thread-jack your complainathon here but...cowboys chances are actually quite good...
ATL looses to MIN...
PHI looses to WAS...
and of course the boys have to win against philly next week...
quite doable, but then again, this is football!
The problem i had with the game,besides the obvious lack of execution in tackling, was Romos overconfidence in his own ability...he's heave-hoing balls on third and long. Taking unneccessary and quite stupid risks. 2 drives where undone because he wanted to go +40 when only 10-20 are needed.
Since this is an open thread, WTF happened to the redskins? They've won seven games, and are in last place in the NFC East. Arizona has won 8 games and clinched the NFC West. Let's say Arizona loses their last games, and Washington wins one (long shot but bear with me). That means they finish with the same number of wins, but one clinches and the other ends in last place. I know the conference system is designed to work that way, and an NFC East team (or a few depending on what happens) could take the wild card spot, but the NFC west is TERRIBLE. At what point do we recognize that you have to be good (or beat good teams) to make the playoffs? I realize there isn't usually such a disparity between conferences, and Seattle receiver corps was decimated by injury etc. but seriously. Washington is perhaps a poor example because of the way they screwed the pooch this season, but overall, the disparity between conferences seems like a serious design flaw. Potential remedies?
Public service announcement to Big Ben: You are not a running QB. Don't try to run, or that will happen again. Happy to help.
gracious: As a washingtonian, I'm with you. It's lame. The situation is exacerbated by strength of schedule. Washington's games were largely more difficult than Arizona's because Washington was playing more NFC East teams.
It's lame, but it's not novel. How is this weakness different from any other conference system? It's easier to reach the NBA finals from the East than from the West, just as it's easier to reach the playoffs from a weak division in any conference sport.
Not too long ago the Rams were the cock of the walk and they were in the NFC West. Seattle is usally pretty good too. So a couple of years does not a division make. If it weren't for the playoff set up being the way it is the Giants wouldn't have won the ship last year. You gotta take the good with the bad.
And BTW IMHO the Redskins fall came because they stopped committing to running the ball with Portis. He might have been hurt but he says he wasn't. Either way they aren't the same team when he isn't getting 20 plus carries.
I'm not sure there is much you can do other than say that the 6 teams with the best record get in. The thing about having divisions is that it "prolongs" the season. That is, teams in weak divisions with weak records still have a shot at the playoffs, thus more teams have a shot and the season is more interesting. But strength of divisions will change almost on a year to year basis.
They do need to convert to that seeding format in which a division winner DOES NOT get a higher seed than a wildcard team that has a better record. Doesn't that take effect next year??
Overall Bidwell wins the title hands down but if you take say the last 15 years I don't think anybody can touch Al Davis.
I dunno. Davis's club did make the Super Bowl (and were favored, and were a young QB away from an historic comeback) a few years ago. So he has that going for him.
But horrible though he be, Davis brings the high comedy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3XAohGHEv8), and as TSG noted, may have, in fact, mutated into some sort of sea monster.
To me that Superbowl was just another nail in Davis' coffin. The coach he drove away beat the sh!t of a team he had assembled. Now the coach that Davis put in to replace Gruden has gone on to also be fired at Nebraska, the next guy tried to literally take the team back to the 60s then he gets rid of Norv once they are showing the slightest bit of improvement and now he has hired and fired the thorougly unqualified Lane Kiffen who has now ironically enough been hired by my dumb ass alma mater. Bidwells short comings always come down to one thing, he was cheap as hell. But Al Davis has a treasure trove of bad traits not the least of which is flying through coaches.
Overall Bidwell wins the title hands down but if you take say the last 15 years I don't think anybody can touch Al Davis.
I dunno. Davis's club did make the Super Bowl (and were favored, and were a young QB away from an historic comeback) a few years ago. So he has that going for him.
But horrible though he be, Davis brings the high comedy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3XAohGHEv8), and as TSG noted, may have, in fact, mutated into some sort of sea monster.
You all are forgetting about William Clay Ford. In my 41 years the Lions have won 1 (!) playoff game. The Lions best coach in my lifetime has been Wayne Fontes!
Peter Hoh that was a sweet diving catch. Santonio can be an excellent WR at times. Then he disappears or makes mistakes.
I was afraid the Steelers' running game would be non-existent. This is not good, but that hurry up offense is on point. If we can win with timely drives and stout defense I will take it.
I really would like to see them throw to Moore coming out of the backfield if we can't run for 4 or 5 yards. The Pats do it to perfection with Faulk, why not us?
What the hell are the Pats doing to the Cardinals blitzing on 3rd and 18 up 44-0 with the Cards backup in the game? I understand the concept of a team not quitting just because they're ahead, but that's a bit much.
Well now I know why the Titans have only lost 2 games all year - solid in every phase of the game. Steelers need to stop running such deep routes if the line can't hold em. Nothing wrong with quick passes for 5 or 6 yards as long as you move the chains. Roethlisberger refuses to do it. I guess the 2 seed ain't bad though. Wish we could have held them to under 300 yards.....
SG,
The run-blitz was not the problem. It's a good call when you are confident that the other team is going to run and your players maintain discipline in covering the gaps. The standard 3-4 set is not immune to long gains either besides which, Baltimore was not after long gains either time, just 3+ yards per carry. Since they had averaged more than 3 yards per carry for the game, a base 3-4 defensive call would have likely given them a first down if they ran it 3 times, making IT the wrong call.
If you go back and watch both long TD plays, you'll see that Dallas had more than one chance to tackle the runner on both plays and failed to do so.
BTW, my experience goes a little further than video games and television but I appreciate you putting their value in perspective.
Prior to his long run McClain was averaging 2.7 a carry.
Prior to his long run Magahee was averaging 3 yards a carry aside from a 13 yard run right before half time on 8 carries. Deion Sanders was calling him washed up.
Before those last two carries those two guys had a combined total of 88 yards on 28 carries which would be pathetic if one back did it.
All we had to do was line up in an 9 man front with cover 3 behind it and we would have been fine. Even if the guy breaks we have 3 guys playing deep thirds who would have a chance to stop him from scoring.
The run blitz was a dumb ass call in that situation. Yes there were guys in position to make the play but thats the whole reason why you don't blitz. You want more than ONE guy to have an opportunity to make the play or at least ensure that it doesn't break. Running a run blitz on first down in both of those situations runs contrary to years and years of defensive coaching of organized football. And we paid for it accordingly.
The Bucs D got worn down today from being on the field too much. The offense went 3 and out so many times I wanted to kick the Tee Vee in. Its still amazing to me that some people view Gruden as an offensive guru. If he had a OC who was as bad as he is he would have fired them by now. Buchanan had an awful day too. At the end of the game the defense just looked really really flat.
On another note, if the 49ers don't sign Singletary to a contract soon their fans should boycott the team. If they win next week he ends up with a winning record as interim coach and he has already ensured that they will be second place in their admittedly sh!tty division. Had he started off the season as coach he might have had them above Arizona right now.
Well, that was as deflating of a loss I have ever been through in a long long time. Having grown up in Dallas, living through the 1-15 year, "The Catch", Being pumped up for a playoff game against the Rams only to watch E.Dickerson completely chew them(The Cowboys) up. That thing last night was up right up there. The only thing that kept me off the ledge was the brillance of Jeff Garcia today. So it all comes down to the most penalized, most undisciplined team in the NFL going on the road in Philly...yey!
While I agree for the most part about the need for a new coach, the more I think about it the more confused I get. I mean, the defense has gotten better since he took over, and he is a great d-coach. But the penalties and confusion has got to stop. I'm not sure a new coach would do that. There is not a bigger ball buster in the league than B.Parcells, know one that likes to nit pick about attention to detail than he, yet they still made the same mistakes under him that have been made under Wade. You can't rebuild, the D is made up of mostly young talented players, and the offense is the same(TO the exception). I just don't know what can fix this thing, there seems to be a lack of football IQ on the field, and I am out of idea's as to how to fix that. I don't think getting ris of TO and Wade will keep Flo from jumping offsides on 3rd and short, or the D from making Personal fouls that put the O in fg range, or the line forgetting how to pick up blitzes, or Romo from making costly interceptions.
I for one don't think they need to fire Wade. But I do think he cost them the game last night. Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad when you are talking about a head coach. He coached a helluva game defensively until those last two calls. Special Teams wise I think we stunk the joint up though. Even though he has a special teams coach, Wade has to take responsibility for that. The offensive game plan to me was lacking too and he has to take responsibility as the head guy for that also. The truth is if we play like that we won't go very far even if we do beat the Eagles next week. Having said that we did lose Romo for a stretch this year, Barber has been hurt, we lost the rookie RB who looked poised to be a true weapon on offense and we lost Roy Williams so we have faced some adversity and it was only one game. But in the end too many games like the one last night will and should definitely get your ass fired IMHO.
Having said that let me also say this, we lead the league in penalties and penalty yards right now whereas we were middle of the pack with Parcells and that definitely comes from the Head Coach. There is no excuse for that especially when you are at home. So I do hold Wade accountable for that. But I didn't necessarily think it lost us the game last night. It definitely didn't help though.
But eff it, win and we are in, thats all I care about for this week.
SG,
"Before those last two carries those two guys had a combined total of 88 yards on 28 carries which would be pathetic if one back did it."
88 / 28 is MORE than 3 yards!!!!!!!
"All we had to do was line up in an 8 man front with cover 3 behind it and we would have been fine. Even if the guy breaks we have 3 guys playing deep thirds who would have a chance to stop him from scoring."
Assuming that those 3 guys tackle the runner (which none of the defenders managed to do)
"The run blitz was a dumb ass call in that situation. Yes there were guys in position to make the play but thats the whole reason why you don't blitz. You want more than ONE guy to have an opportunity to make the play or at least ensure that it doesn't break."
There were guyS in position but you want more than one. How many guys is guys???
You can call it a dumb call all you want but it's only dumb because you have the benefit of hindsight.
"Running a run blitz on first down in both of those situations runs contrary to years and years of defensive coaching of organized football."
And if there's one thing that football teaches us it's that you ALWAYS follow the script set out for you by years and years of previous play.
Let's say Arizona loses their last games, and Washington wins one (long shot but bear with me). That means they finish with the same number of wins, but one clinches and the other ends in last place.
See Saints, New Orleans. They're 8-7 right now, in last place in their division, and can finish no better than a tie for last.
How about those Giants? Great OT win against the Panthers tonight, with the Giants racking up more rushing yards than they've had in any game since 1959.
Next week my Lions go for immortality. Knowing them, they are likely to win the game just to ruin everything. Can the government take over the Lions are part of the auto bailout, because I trust an army of short sleeve dress shirt wearing beaurocrats more than anyone involved with the hapless Lions organization.
It is some small consolation that my man Matt Ryan, the real league MVP, has better than a puncher's chance of winning it all. I love the way Atlanta is playing right now on both sides of the ball. A little confidence and a team attitude can go so far in this league. Any Falcon's fan whose pre-draft ranting consisted of touting Shockley as the next coming, or just hating on the Ryan pick, should be forced to chew tinfoil while being kicked repeatedly in the shins.
but overall, the disparity between conferences seems like a serious design flaw. Potential remedies?
==
It's only a design flaw if the intent is to get the best teams in the playoffs each year. But the intent is to keep as many fans interested for as long as possible, which means letting the clunky Cardinals, Chargers or Broncos in even if it mans a better team gets piped.
As a DC resident I can assure you that the Redskins do not deserve a playoff berth, nor would they know what to do with one if they got it. Though if they did get one I would put $20 on "score 9 points on 200 yards of offense while complaining that 'we're better than this.'"
"Do the Bucs not want It, or what? What's their problem besides an apparently overrated D?
Posted by ed"
The D isnt overrated per se, but they've been playing like crap ever since they found our their "dad" (should-be HOF D.Coordinator Monte Kiffen) was leaving to coach in Tennessee with his son next year...so much for rallying to win one for Monte. Three weeks ago, we looked like potential NFCC entrants, and now? Yeccch.
Sad thing about that, Raheem Morris our DBacks coach was being groomed to take over as DC but now I have to wonder if bringing Marinelli back would be the better option. The injuries to our DLine, which wasn't stellar to begin with under Larry Coyer (former DC of Denver), havent helped either.
SG,
"ed
The Bucs D got worn down today from being on the field too much. The offense went 3 and out so many times I wanted to kick the Tee Vee in. Its still amazing to me that some people view Gruden as an offensive guru. If he had a OC who was as bad as he is he would have fired them by now."
Yep. But Gruden's ego wont allow him to share playcalling or strategic / tactical / philosophical duties with another offensive mind, so I doubt we see a real OC until Gruden is replaced or threatened with dismissal.
Moose asks: "Why the hell is Favre going to the Pro Bowl? "
Because most sportswriters over the age of 40 get a huge boner whenever his name is mentioned.
Favre has been the 3rd best QB in the AFC East this year. I hope the Jets win on Sunday because I'm a Patriots fan, but he sure doesn't look like he can get it done.
Please--Favre has carried this wayward team with a handful of talent despite all the attempts by Eric mangini to blow it with dumbass calls each and every game this season. The only way Favre does not retire is if Mariucci or Holmgren coaches the Jets--which oth appear doubtful.
Let's see how he does against Miami and hopeful the Pats lose--sorry NE.
BG writes: "Favre has carried this wayward team with a handful of talent despite all the attempts by Eric mangini to blow it with dumbass calls each and every game this season."
At this point in his career Favre is Jon Kitna. He has officially passed over the line to "sucks out loud." I just hope he gets lucky on Sunday and helps a much better QB, Matt Cassel, get his playoff shot.
Here's a piece no one cared about. Meh, whatever, probably the most enjoyable article I did during my stint at TIME. Premiered a month before I got laid-off. The nail in the coffin? Ya think?
Here's me going after Al. I didn't so much have a problem with him, as I had a problem with media acting like this dude was the go-to guy for everything black.
This was my first real story at time. I was writing for the Business section, a real change of direction for me. At any rate, it's about Wal-Mart's attempts to colonize the inner-city. As much as I enjoyed this piece, I mostly enjoyed going out to Chicago, which is a beautiful, beautiful city.
This a piece I did about the cops just outside our nation capitol, in Prince George's County, a few years back. I wanted to offer a counter to the dumb, conventional wisdom that if you paint your police force black, you could eradicate police brutality. In fact, Prince George's--one of the richest, blackest counties in the country--also had one of the most brutal police force's in the country.
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood 
As a guy who has been pretty supportive of Wade Phillips and has defended him many times from people who said he wasn't a good coach, I have to say last night was all on him. I can point to several things I feel he did wrong last night.
1. He didn't run the ball enough. Tanard Choice was slicing and dicing the Ravens D and he was the only consistent factor throughout the night. For him to carry the ball only 17 times when he was averaging over 5 yards a pop is just ridiculous.
2. Not enough two tight end sets. When you use two tightends against a 3-4 defense it severely hampers their ability to blitz. Thats something that Wade should know since he has been a 3-4 guru for quite some time. We have a damn good rookie tight end in Bennett and he didn't get much burn at all
3. We use Pacman Jones on punt returns where he is shaky but wait to use him on KO return to the end of the game?! Oh and he only got the ball out to the 50 the one time he touche it on KO return
4. How you don't try an onside kick at the end of the game is beyond me. Yeah I'm pissed about McClain taking it to the house but the truth is the game was already basically over. All the Ravens had to do was make one first down. Even if they had the punt we would have been put in a position of having to score with basically 10 or 15 seconds left
5. Which leads to us run blitzing on first down which takes your safety valve out of play in case a long run breaks which it did.
Now we got physically whupped at the end too. Lo Neal decleated Bradie James and Ken Hamlin is going to have nightmares about being runover by Magahee and stiff armed by McClain. But the truth is the Defense was worn out at that point. We can't keep having all these turnovers by Romo. Times like now show why the Cowboys should have gone out and got a better option at backup QB. I love Brad Johnson for all he has done during his career but he isn't a viable option when Romo is in a rut.
We still have a chance but we are going to need some help and we HAVE to beat Philly and I can guarantee you that the Philly press will be playing up the recent TO stuff and comparing it to his beef with McNabb to try to distract the team this week.
Thanks a lot Cowboys!
-An Angry Pats Fan
I'm not a Dallas fan, but my wife is a major Ravens fan so we watched the game all the way through and then some last night, so I'll toss my 2 cents in.
Dallas' problem is that Jerry Jones has basically lost it ever since he dumped Barry Switzer. He can't find a coach he likes, in part because no particularly good coach really wants to put up with him. Add into it that he doesn't seem to know how to put a team together, that he undercuts the coach and antagonizes the players constantly. If you're looking for a defining moment in the collapse of the team, you really don't need to go any further than the owner of the team essentially calling the toughest player on the team (Barber) a sissy. I mean how would you react to that if you were in the locker room? You understand how injuries work. You know Barber's a tough guy. And you know that he's got an injury that, if nothing else, limits his effectiveness. But your owner is calling the guy out publicly. I mean, how do you build a positive environment around a franchise like that?
Jerry Jones could learn a lot from (I hate to say it) Robert Kraft. The guy's as active in the business as any other owner, he exerts a fairly high amount of control over the football operations, but during the season he disappears. He shuts up and lets the coaches coach, the players play, and he doesn't undercut his people. And the difference between those two franchises is obvious.
Dallas set Philly up real well. Now all we need is a loss from either Tampa or Atlanta and we'll control our own destiny.
Boom.
Brein
I have my problems with Jerry Jones but I should point out that Kraft lost Bill Parcells because he wouldn't let him help "shop for the groceries" so don't act like he doesn't have his faults too. Its just that after Parcells left he learned a lesson about giving his coach more leeway as he has with Belicheck
Fair enough, but it seems like the operative point there is that Kraft learned his lesson. Jones has had roughly 10 years to figure it out, and is maybe as bad as he's ever been. Which is fine on the one hand because I don't really care for Dallas, but after a while having to listen to this nonsense every time I turn on ESPN just gets annoying.
I used to love football, but these days I know more about bean pies than I do about what's going on in the NFL. I blame Hank William Jr.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOmcLIzIuzc
Go Steelers! Fingers are crossed.
Jones is the owner so he's responsible for the fate of the team. But this idea that Jerry is somehow worse than other owners is, frankly, ludicrous and not borne out by the facts.
Please read some actual journalism on NFL owners. People see Jerry on the sidelines and think they know the whole story. He isn't great. But he's actually better than most.
Seriously, people need to think about Georgia Frontier, Alex Spanos, Randy Lerner, and Al Davis before they talk.
Seriously, people need to think about Georgia Frontier, Alex Spanos, Randy Lerner, and Al Davis before they talk.
You forgot Bill Bidwell. Or Robert Irsay. Or Danny Snyder. Lots of horrible owners, now and before, many worse than multi-ring owner J-Jones. But it's hard to top Bidwell as the worst.
ed
Overall Bidwell wins the title hands down but if you take say the last 15 years I don't think anybody can touch Al Davis.
I don't think he's the absolute worst owner, or even in the bottom half. He's probably in the top 10-12 in fact. But if you're gonna get over the 10ish win, early playoff exit hump he's gonna have to STFU. You can't have a successful franchise if the first thing everyone asks about your head coach is how the owner is going to get along with him. It's like Notre Dame; they're never going to have success as long as they have such constant turnover at the top, and as long as the first question everyone asks when they get a new coach is "when is he gonna get fired." You just can't build like that.
But I do think he flat crossed the line with the Barber thing and (speculating) I'd wager he lost a helluva lot of respect with the players on his team and around the league over that.
Brein
Yeah he did cross over the line with Barber but then he back tracked on it and affirmed his belief that the Barbarian is one of the toughest guys on the team. Everybody makes mistakes.
Not surprised myself, but blame it on a, b, or c, while Romo missed on a coupla passes downfield up the middle, what can one make of two all pro receivers and an all pro tight end that can't get open most of the game. The commentators were talking about a lack of offensive game plan (Marshall Faulk probably never played on a team that could like the 90s Cowboys or the 80s Niners just tee it up), but the Cowboys should have the talent to beat even good defenses hat on hat.
The big runs were embarassing, but the first one was one of those kinds of things that happen to all teams; the second one was more inexcusable.
Anyway, Dallas are like the New York Yankees--they have a good if meddlesome owner who really wants to win, but winning is more than the sum of its parts. Interesting that Creighton made the really great catches last night.
They could still win it all, but they probably don't have the mentality to do so. TO has never been on a team that has done so, nor has their coach. "It is what it is" to quote Sterling Sharpe.
The magnificence that is Ed Reed isnt getting nearly enough cred in this thread. He's exactly the kind of unstoppable playmaking safety Romo didnt wanna see today, esp with his tendency to just chuck it down the seam and hope Witten comes up with it.
I doubt even a full-speed, full-health, no distractions Dallas team was gonna beat an angry group of hostile, jackbooted thugs in black and purple coming off that loss to the Steelers.
I agree with basically that entire post. Great points. Couple quibbles.
1.) It's Crayton
2.) Roy isn't All-Pro. Thought to have All-Pro talent. But that's not who he is. Yet.
"the kind of unstoppable playmaking safety Romo didnt wanna see yesterday" sorry
Missing unbalanced formations on consecutive 70+ yard running plays.
Citizen E
Giving credit where credit is due, the Ravens aren't a good defense, they are a GREAT defense.
Marshall Faulk was the center piece of the "greatest show on turf" so I am assuming your remark about him not being on a team that could just tee it up is snark.
And the name is Crayton. The problem isn't always the all pros getting open. There were a couple of times where you had guys open that Romo couldn't hit because he was eating a healthy helping of Ray Lewis.
Thats why they should have run the ball more. And thats why after a shaky start the Ravens were able to control the clock and make first downs more, by committing to the run.
Allowing 2 70+ TD runs is obviously bad especially when you know the other team is going to run the ball BUT criticizing the run blitz call is just dopey. First off, they HAVE to stop the other team getting a first down and being aggressive against the run is necessary. Second, they had several opportunities to tackle the ball carrier on both TD's and didn't execute their tackles. #26 was particularly at fault on both runs.
Steelers 20 Titans 10
Collins cannot handle this. I just hope we don't let Chris Johnson cut back (like Fred Taylor always would) on us and get some big gains. Titans would be smart to try and let our speedy defense over pursue. If Blitzburgh can squeeze through with another tough win we will be that much more battle-tested. (We do have the hardest schedule in the league) Lets get that No. 1 seed!
But...if we cannot run against their injured defensive line I might get a little worried for the playoffs. I want to see Gary Russell up the middle if Willie and Mewelde cannot hit it up the gut.
Paul G
As dopey as it might sound, you don't call run blitzes when you have to get the ball back at the end of a game. Go read any defensive coaching hand book and you will see that. I know from personal experience. Its called the "4 minute" situation and there reason you don't call run blitzes is because it opens you up for big runs. A 3-4 defense is inherently situated to be able to stop most runs for less than 3 yards. As a defense you actually WANT the team to run the ball 3 times, stop them short and get ready for punt return. Its the same reason you don't blitz on 3rd and long when you have to get the ball back. The Cowboys had done pretty good on stopping the run with just their base calls most of the night. What in hell is stopping them for a one yard loss gonna do to help the Cowboys win? Not a damn thang.
I understand how playing video games or watching on Tee Vee it might seem like a run blitz is the way to go but the reality is its not because you create a situation where if just one guy doesn't do their job you have a big play. Of course with the Cowboys several guys didn't do their job. But if they were in base defense that would have been maybe a 3 yard game instead of a house call.
Not to thread-jack your complainathon here but...cowboys chances are actually quite good...
ATL looses to MIN...
PHI looses to WAS...
and of course the boys have to win against philly next week...
quite doable, but then again, this is football!
The problem i had with the game,besides the obvious lack of execution in tackling, was Romos overconfidence in his own ability...he's heave-hoing balls on third and long. Taking unneccessary and quite stupid risks. 2 drives where undone because he wanted to go +40 when only 10-20 are needed.
Since this is an open thread, WTF happened to the redskins? They've won seven games, and are in last place in the NFC East. Arizona has won 8 games and clinched the NFC West. Let's say Arizona loses their last games, and Washington wins one (long shot but bear with me). That means they finish with the same number of wins, but one clinches and the other ends in last place. I know the conference system is designed to work that way, and an NFC East team (or a few depending on what happens) could take the wild card spot, but the NFC west is TERRIBLE. At what point do we recognize that you have to be good (or beat good teams) to make the playoffs? I realize there isn't usually such a disparity between conferences, and Seattle receiver corps was decimated by injury etc. but seriously. Washington is perhaps a poor example because of the way they screwed the pooch this season, but overall, the disparity between conferences seems like a serious design flaw. Potential remedies?
Public service announcement to Big Ben: You are not a running QB. Don't try to run, or that will happen again. Happy to help.
gracious: As a washingtonian, I'm with you. It's lame. The situation is exacerbated by strength of schedule. Washington's games were largely more difficult than Arizona's because Washington was playing more NFC East teams.
It's lame, but it's not novel. How is this weakness different from any other conference system? It's easier to reach the NBA finals from the East than from the West, just as it's easier to reach the playoffs from a weak division in any conference sport.
gracious
Not too long ago the Rams were the cock of the walk and they were in the NFC West. Seattle is usally pretty good too. So a couple of years does not a division make. If it weren't for the playoff set up being the way it is the Giants wouldn't have won the ship last year. You gotta take the good with the bad.
And BTW IMHO the Redskins fall came because they stopped committing to running the ball with Portis. He might have been hurt but he says he wasn't. Either way they aren't the same team when he isn't getting 20 plus carries.
I'm not sure there is much you can do other than say that the 6 teams with the best record get in. The thing about having divisions is that it "prolongs" the season. That is, teams in weak divisions with weak records still have a shot at the playoffs, thus more teams have a shot and the season is more interesting. But strength of divisions will change almost on a year to year basis.
They do need to convert to that seeding format in which a division winner DOES NOT get a higher seed than a wildcard team that has a better record. Doesn't that take effect next year??
Overall Bidwell wins the title hands down but if you take say the last 15 years I don't think anybody can touch Al Davis.
I dunno. Davis's club did make the Super Bowl (and were favored, and were a young QB away from an historic comeback) a few years ago. So he has that going for him.
But horrible though he be, Davis brings the high comedy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3XAohGHEv8), and as TSG noted, may have, in fact, mutated into some sort of sea monster.
That first Pittsburgh TD reception was about the sweetest catch I've ever seen.
Santonio Holmes; Perfect 10.
ed
To me that Superbowl was just another nail in Davis' coffin. The coach he drove away beat the sh!t of a team he had assembled. Now the coach that Davis put in to replace Gruden has gone on to also be fired at Nebraska, the next guy tried to literally take the team back to the 60s then he gets rid of Norv once they are showing the slightest bit of improvement and now he has hired and fired the thorougly unqualified Lane Kiffen who has now ironically enough been hired by my dumb ass alma mater. Bidwells short comings always come down to one thing, he was cheap as hell. But Al Davis has a treasure trove of bad traits not the least of which is flying through coaches.
sgwhiteinfla:
All true. But you can't deny the unintentional comedy brilliance that is an Al Davis press conference, let alone his wardrobe.
Overall Bidwell wins the title hands down but if you take say the last 15 years I don't think anybody can touch Al Davis.
I dunno. Davis's club did make the Super Bowl (and were favored, and were a young QB away from an historic comeback) a few years ago. So he has that going for him.
But horrible though he be, Davis brings the high comedy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3XAohGHEv8), and as TSG noted, may have, in fact, mutated into some sort of sea monster.
You all are forgetting about William Clay Ford. In my 41 years the Lions have won 1 (!) playoff game. The Lions best coach in my lifetime has been Wayne Fontes!
I'm getting upset about Al Davis. The Raiders being a joke was fun for a few years, but I'm a Broncos fan and even I'm getting sick of it.
Also, Lorenzo Neal is a run-blocking beast. Dang glad the Chargers were stupid enough to let him go.
ed
Yeah you got me on that one lol.
Peter Hoh that was a sweet diving catch. Santonio can be an excellent WR at times. Then he disappears or makes mistakes.
I was afraid the Steelers' running game would be non-existent. This is not good, but that hurry up offense is on point. If we can win with timely drives and stout defense I will take it.
I really would like to see them throw to Moore coming out of the backfield if we can't run for 4 or 5 yards. The Pats do it to perfection with Faulk, why not us?
Looks like Brees' eying that record! atleast something to cheer about for saints fans!
What the hell are the Pats doing to the Cardinals blitzing on 3rd and 18 up 44-0 with the Cards backup in the game? I understand the concept of a team not quitting just because they're ahead, but that's a bit much.
I am torn right now. I love the Bucs but them taking this L is going to help the Cowboys get in to the playoffs. Oh well cup half full and all that
Do the Bucs not want It, or what? What's their problem besides an apparently overrated D?
Im mildly amused by the gawdaful Cards...i mean COME ON!
@ed
You mean besides having 3 qb's who occasionally take the night off?
Well now I know why the Titans have only lost 2 games all year - solid in every phase of the game. Steelers need to stop running such deep routes if the line can't hold em. Nothing wrong with quick passes for 5 or 6 yards as long as you move the chains. Roethlisberger refuses to do it. I guess the 2 seed ain't bad though. Wish we could have held them to under 300 yards.....
Matt Leinart is a douche. He earned that blitz. Nice bomb to Fitzgerald, probably saved some team's fantasy season...
Hah! Steelers Lose! Steelers Lose!!!
And on that, how awful is the Titans-Colts games going to be next week?
SG,
The run-blitz was not the problem. It's a good call when you are confident that the other team is going to run and your players maintain discipline in covering the gaps. The standard 3-4 set is not immune to long gains either besides which, Baltimore was not after long gains either time, just 3+ yards per carry. Since they had averaged more than 3 yards per carry for the game, a base 3-4 defensive call would have likely given them a first down if they ran it 3 times, making IT the wrong call.
If you go back and watch both long TD plays, you'll see that Dallas had more than one chance to tackle the runner on both plays and failed to do so.
BTW, my experience goes a little further than video games and television but I appreciate you putting their value in perspective.
Joel,
You're right! I'm in my FF final and have Fitzgerald. He had done next to nothing all day and then 78yd TD = 17 points, beauty!
Jerry Jones - Jimmy Johnson = Dan Snyder.
ITs just that simple.
Gratuitous and pointless Bills mention.
Paul G
Prior to his long run McClain was averaging 2.7 a carry.
Prior to his long run Magahee was averaging 3 yards a carry aside from a 13 yard run right before half time on 8 carries. Deion Sanders was calling him washed up.
Before those last two carries those two guys had a combined total of 88 yards on 28 carries which would be pathetic if one back did it.
All we had to do was line up in an 9 man front with cover 3 behind it and we would have been fine. Even if the guy breaks we have 3 guys playing deep thirds who would have a chance to stop him from scoring.
The run blitz was a dumb ass call in that situation. Yes there were guys in position to make the play but thats the whole reason why you don't blitz. You want more than ONE guy to have an opportunity to make the play or at least ensure that it doesn't break. Running a run blitz on first down in both of those situations runs contrary to years and years of defensive coaching of organized football. And we paid for it accordingly.
that should have been 8 man front
ed
The Bucs D got worn down today from being on the field too much. The offense went 3 and out so many times I wanted to kick the Tee Vee in. Its still amazing to me that some people view Gruden as an offensive guru. If he had a OC who was as bad as he is he would have fired them by now. Buchanan had an awful day too. At the end of the game the defense just looked really really flat.
On another note, if the 49ers don't sign Singletary to a contract soon their fans should boycott the team. If they win next week he ends up with a winning record as interim coach and he has already ensured that they will be second place in their admittedly sh!tty division. Had he started off the season as coach he might have had them above Arizona right now.
It doesn't matter if we boycott the niners. The owners don't have one bit of loyalty to the bay.
well, atleast we have 2 great games to look forward too next week. I only hope the networks pick em' up.
Well hot damn, if we win next week we are in.
How bout dem Cowboys!
Denver's just determined to hand the division over to San Diego. Lousy defense and a bunch of who dats at running back does not win championships.
One game away from perfection for poor Detroit.
Well, that was as deflating of a loss I have ever been through in a long long time. Having grown up in Dallas, living through the 1-15 year, "The Catch", Being pumped up for a playoff game against the Rams only to watch E.Dickerson completely chew them(The Cowboys) up. That thing last night was up right up there. The only thing that kept me off the ledge was the brillance of Jeff Garcia today. So it all comes down to the most penalized, most undisciplined team in the NFL going on the road in Philly...yey!
While I agree for the most part about the need for a new coach, the more I think about it the more confused I get. I mean, the defense has gotten better since he took over, and he is a great d-coach. But the penalties and confusion has got to stop. I'm not sure a new coach would do that. There is not a bigger ball buster in the league than B.Parcells, know one that likes to nit pick about attention to detail than he, yet they still made the same mistakes under him that have been made under Wade. You can't rebuild, the D is made up of mostly young talented players, and the offense is the same(TO the exception). I just don't know what can fix this thing, there seems to be a lack of football IQ on the field, and I am out of idea's as to how to fix that. I don't think getting ris of TO and Wade will keep Flo from jumping offsides on 3rd and short, or the D from making Personal fouls that put the O in fg range, or the line forgetting how to pick up blitzes, or Romo from making costly interceptions.
keith
I for one don't think they need to fire Wade. But I do think he cost them the game last night. Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad when you are talking about a head coach. He coached a helluva game defensively until those last two calls. Special Teams wise I think we stunk the joint up though. Even though he has a special teams coach, Wade has to take responsibility for that. The offensive game plan to me was lacking too and he has to take responsibility as the head guy for that also. The truth is if we play like that we won't go very far even if we do beat the Eagles next week. Having said that we did lose Romo for a stretch this year, Barber has been hurt, we lost the rookie RB who looked poised to be a true weapon on offense and we lost Roy Williams so we have faced some adversity and it was only one game. But in the end too many games like the one last night will and should definitely get your ass fired IMHO.
Having said that let me also say this, we lead the league in penalties and penalty yards right now whereas we were middle of the pack with Parcells and that definitely comes from the Head Coach. There is no excuse for that especially when you are at home. So I do hold Wade accountable for that. But I didn't necessarily think it lost us the game last night. It definitely didn't help though.
But eff it, win and we are in, thats all I care about for this week.
SG,
"Before those last two carries those two guys had a combined total of 88 yards on 28 carries which would be pathetic if one back did it."
88 / 28 is MORE than 3 yards!!!!!!!
"All we had to do was line up in an 8 man front with cover 3 behind it and we would have been fine. Even if the guy breaks we have 3 guys playing deep thirds who would have a chance to stop him from scoring."
Assuming that those 3 guys tackle the runner (which none of the defenders managed to do)
"The run blitz was a dumb ass call in that situation. Yes there were guys in position to make the play but thats the whole reason why you don't blitz. You want more than ONE guy to have an opportunity to make the play or at least ensure that it doesn't break."
There were guyS in position but you want more than one. How many guys is guys???
You can call it a dumb call all you want but it's only dumb because you have the benefit of hindsight.
"Running a run blitz on first down in both of those situations runs contrary to years and years of defensive coaching of organized football."
And if there's one thing that football teaches us it's that you ALWAYS follow the script set out for you by years and years of previous play.
Let's say Arizona loses their last games, and Washington wins one (long shot but bear with me). That means they finish with the same number of wins, but one clinches and the other ends in last place.
See Saints, New Orleans. They're 8-7 right now, in last place in their division, and can finish no better than a tie for last.
I think it's official now--the Lions are the worst ever.
How about those Giants? Great OT win against the Panthers tonight, with the Giants racking up more rushing yards than they've had in any game since 1959.
Next week my Lions go for immortality. Knowing them, they are likely to win the game just to ruin everything. Can the government take over the Lions are part of the auto bailout, because I trust an army of short sleeve dress shirt wearing beaurocrats more than anyone involved with the hapless Lions organization.
It is some small consolation that my man Matt Ryan, the real league MVP, has better than a puncher's chance of winning it all. I love the way Atlanta is playing right now on both sides of the ball. A little confidence and a team attitude can go so far in this league. Any Falcon's fan whose pre-draft ranting consisted of touting Shockley as the next coming, or just hating on the Ryan pick, should be forced to chew tinfoil while being kicked repeatedly in the shins.
Flacco has also been pretty impressive.
@Kevdog:
Much, much love and respect to your Bills. I kiss you! Kisskiss!
--happy Chargers fan
It's only a design flaw if the intent is to get the best teams in the playoffs each year. But the intent is to keep as many fans interested for as long as possible, which means letting the clunky Cardinals, Chargers or Broncos in even if it mans a better team gets piped.
As a DC resident I can assure you that the Redskins do not deserve a playoff berth, nor would they know what to do with one if they got it. Though if they did get one I would put $20 on "score 9 points on 200 yards of offense while complaining that 'we're better than this.'"
"Do the Bucs not want It, or what? What's their problem besides an apparently overrated D?
Posted by ed"
The D isnt overrated per se, but they've been playing like crap ever since they found our their "dad" (should-be HOF D.Coordinator Monte Kiffen) was leaving to coach in Tennessee with his son next year...so much for rallying to win one for Monte. Three weeks ago, we looked like potential NFCC entrants, and now? Yeccch.
Sad thing about that, Raheem Morris our DBacks coach was being groomed to take over as DC but now I have to wonder if bringing Marinelli back would be the better option. The injuries to our DLine, which wasn't stellar to begin with under Larry Coyer (former DC of Denver), havent helped either.
SG,
"ed
The Bucs D got worn down today from being on the field too much. The offense went 3 and out so many times I wanted to kick the Tee Vee in. Its still amazing to me that some people view Gruden as an offensive guru. If he had a OC who was as bad as he is he would have fired them by now."
Yep. But Gruden's ego wont allow him to share playcalling or strategic / tactical / philosophical duties with another offensive mind, so I doubt we see a real OC until Gruden is replaced or threatened with dismissal.
One question: Why the hell is Favre going to the Pro Bowl?
Moose asks: "Why the hell is Favre going to the Pro Bowl? "
Because most sportswriters over the age of 40 get a huge boner whenever his name is mentioned.
Favre has been the 3rd best QB in the AFC East this year. I hope the Jets win on Sunday because I'm a Patriots fan, but he sure doesn't look like he can get it done.
Please--Favre has carried this wayward team with a handful of talent despite all the attempts by Eric mangini to blow it with dumbass calls each and every game this season. The only way Favre does not retire is if Mariucci or Holmgren coaches the Jets--which oth appear doubtful.
Let's see how he does against Miami and hopeful the Pats lose--sorry NE.
BG writes: "Favre has carried this wayward team with a handful of talent despite all the attempts by Eric mangini to blow it with dumbass calls each and every game this season."
At this point in his career Favre is Jon Kitna. He has officially passed over the line to "sucks out loud." I just hope he gets lucky on Sunday and helps a much better QB, Matt Cassel, get his playoff shot.