-
-
-
2009-2010 Regular Season: Postgame -
Cowboys' Victory Renders Rival Red-Faced On The Reservation
-
- December
29, 2009
At 12:08 AM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
The Cowboys won another game in December.
-
- The Cowboys swept the season series
- and the floor - with the Redskins.
The Cowboys’ 10th victory of the 2009 season came on a nearly
perfect day.
The Cowboys won the 100th game - but not all 100 - in their 50 year old rivalry with the
hated Washington Redskins.
The Carolina Panthers obliterated the playoff-hopeful New York
Giants earlier in the day – effectively making a same day delivery
to FedEx field of a post season invitation for the Cowboys.
While the Eagles barely won a squeaker at home to the Denver
Broncos, their patchwork offensive line lost their starting center
to a season-ending knee injury.
-
- Maybe - just this once for the
Cowboys - the month of Thanksgiving really has become December
rather than November.
Making The Most Of An
Opportunity – Again
The Cowboys – for the second straight game in December – won all or
most of the important battles against their opponent.
The Cowboys scored more points, won time of possession, passed and
rushed for more yards.
The Cowboys even managed to mix in a rare shutout for this game –
with their last shutout occurring back in 2004 against the very same
Redskins.
Romo had another fairly efficient day – of close to 300 yards (his
new standard) along with one touchdown and the afore-mentioned
interception.
Jason Witten was absolutely clutch – delivering another brilliant
and timely performance of 6 more catches for 117 yards, along with a
69 yard catch that almost went for a touchdown.
Miles Austin delivered another stellar performance – with 9 catches
for close to 100 yards but without a touchdown (below his new
standards). He continues to catch almost everything that is thrown
to him, he continues to be the answer at wide receiver while someone
else struggles, and he is knocking loudly at the door to his first
ever Pro Bowl nomination.
Roy Williams had one catch for a touchdown, but fans hope the
Redskins game was his off-again game – and that, against the Eagles
– he will be on-again . . . and remain on throughout the post
season.
The Cowboys are better with a productive Roy Williams than without
and, as usual, the fans – love Roy or leave Roy – will just have to
continue waiting to see if he can be consistently on-again.
Marion Barber and Felix Jones did their collective rushing part in
delivering steady, alternating doses of speed and strength – gaining
most of the yards the Cowboys needed and leaving a few on the field
that fans hope do not come back to haunt America’s team.
Tashard Choice continued his special teams exclusivity for all but
one play. Red Ball may be saving him for a déjà vu Razorback running
assignment against the Eagles.
While Tashard may not have participated against the Redskins the way
he or his growing legion of fans had envisioned, he did evidently
deliver a heartfelt statement to the entire team before the Saints
game – speaking to the overall state of the team and goals yet to be
achieved. Tashard’s speech – according to several players both young
and established – left a positive effect on the team that continues
to linger into the post season.
The Cowboys’ defense – not to be forgotten as the sole reason behind
the shutout of the Redskins – put on another solid performance. They
played more of Wade Phillips’ style of defense the way it has always
been meant to be played – with controlled aggression, good gap
awareness, and smart tag-team zone coverage.
The Cowboys’ secondary jammed their opposing receivers all night
long and benefitted from constant pressure on the Redskins’
bewildered Jason Campbell – resulting in a Terence Newman
interception off of a tipped pass.
Mike Jenkins had an otherwise quiet night – defending passes and
giving up little to no forward progress to the enemy.
-
- Even Orlando Scandrick continued to
show more and more reliability from the slot - in both man and zone
coverage. His performance will continue to be key against explosive
offenses - like the Eagles and Chargers - which sport multiple
weapons.
The Dallas safeties – Ken Hamlin, Gerald Sensabaugh, and Alan Ball –
accepted whatever pass-play scraps were left for them.
The source of the pocket-collapsing pressure was, of course, the
Brooking & Bradie Bunch, Jay “The Gap Absorber” Ratliff, and the rest of the
redwoods occupying positions in and around the Cowboys’ defensive
line.
While DeMarcus Ware did not get any sacks, his presence was
constantly felt in the backfield and on failed screen passes. Jay
Ratliff, Anthony Spencer, and Igor Olshansky picked up the slack in
delivering two sacks and one shared sack, respectively.
Silent Special Teams
The Cowboys special teams unit – in the wake of Joe DeCamillis’
emergency appendectomy – quietly did exactly what they needed to do.
They made few to no mistakes – save the 24 yard kick return by Rock
Cartwright.
-
- Mat McBriar continued what has been
another good, solid season for him - punting to the Redskins for an
average of 50 yards and keeping Washington from enjoying any kind of
shortened field.
Shaun Suisham silently did his job as well – connecting on two extra
points and a 23 yard field goal from much the same spot that he
missed a similar kick against the Saints in the overtime game lost
by the Redskins just a couple weeks ago.
Silence is, indeed, the key to being a successful NFL kicker – as
any noise beyond shoe leather on football pigskin and a swish
between the uprights would give the Cowboys and their fans nervous
pause . . . once, again.
-
- The longer Suisham does his job, the
more Nick Folk will become a docile and distant memory - but if
Suisham fails miserably to swish 'em, Folklore will still be
remembered more fondly . . . even with his poor performance during
the second half of this season.
Nonetheless,
DeCamillis was able to rest easy in his hospital room – undoubtedly
enjoying some of the quality food served there.
Making Mistakes And
Surviving Them
The Cowboys tied on takeaways after a Tony Romo pass bounced off of
Roy Williams' hands into the waiting bread basket of a Redskins defender – thus, on a technicality – the
Cowboys lone turnover was not a harbinger of things to come. Then,
again, Roy Williams' predictably unpredictable level of play can
make anything possible.
There was, however, another false start penalty usually
not associated with Witten – which may sound ridiculously
ticky-tacky considering Witten's normal output - but which have been occurring more
often this year than in any past season. Then, again – if you were
having as good a game as Witten, you might be eager to get off the
line of scrimmage as fast as possible as well, against a struggling
defense.
-
- And - about those 3rd and 1 and 4th
and 1 running plays . . .
-
- The offensive line - even without
starting right tackle Marc Colombo participating - is big enough and
mobile enough to allow a player like Marion Barber to bulldoze his
way to a first down. Barber is barbaric, hard-nosed, and tough on
every run, and one yard efforts should be easier to finish off.
-
- Then, again, the same thing was said
about the Cowboys' offensive line when Emmitt Smith was going for
that same yardage and that same first down - in a particularly
painful game against the Eagles - during the 1995 lead up to Barry
Switzer's only super bowl victory.
-
- While the circumstances were a bit
different, the concern was and is the same. The Cowboys - in both
cases - did not and do not want to give current and future opponents
the indication that one yard is not achievable . . . and that the
Cowboys can and will be stuffed when the chips are down.
-
- The Cowboys certainly want to avoid
having a one yard target on their backs, and the solution may simply
be more about shortening the distance between the QB drop back and
exchange with the running - whether Barber, Jones, Choice, or even
Anderson.
-
- And if a shortened exchange is not
the answer, then, the offensive line and Anderson are simply -
magically - going to have to find a better, more reliable way to
seal off the edges or open up the interior for the Cowboys' running
backs to break through for a first down.
-
- Remember, the issue is a lot less
about what tricks or gadget plays the Cowboys can use to gain one
yard on a 3rd or 4th down - and far more about a bruising back being
able to successfully carry the rock for one yard. Employing and
succeeding with such a common power play can do wonders for your
confidence when other more complex plays are not working.
-
- While mental mistakes in the NFL are
never good, the Cowboys survived and succeeded despite those
described from the Redskins game . . . which potentially speaks to
their improved maturity as they head into the playoffs. Fans can
only hope.
Appreciating What Is At
Stake
The Cowboys and their fans have received almost the ideal situation
heading into this Sunday’s game against rival Philadelphia.
Almost everything is in place:
The Cowboys – with one game to play – have earned a playoff spot.
The Cowboys – with one game to play – have made the playoffs for the
30th time in their history.
The Cowboys – with one game to play – have a chance to win the NFC
East crown.
The Cowboys – with one game to play – have a potential chance to
earn a first round bye.
The Cowboys – with one game to play – face the Eagles with all but a
playoff spot on the line.
The Cowboys – with one game to play – face the Eagles in comfy
Cowboys Stadium.
The Cowboys – with one game to play – have a chance to avenge last
season’s finale.
The Cowboys – with one game to play – have a chance to enter the
post season strong.
Everything would have been in place if:
The Cowboys – with one game to play – had already won the division
by several games.
The Cowboys – with one game to play – were facing an Eagles team
needing a win to get in.
The Cowboys – with one game to play – had a coaching situation with
a clear and certain future.
Alas, the Cowboys will simply have to make do with their “imperfect”
circumstances. Seriously – they have nothing to complain about,
having largely controlled their own destiny for the entire 2009
season. They left plenty of good play call and play execution
opportunities on the grid iron and – depending upon your perspective
– five more wins as well.
The Cowboys organization knows what is at stake.
Cowboys’ fans know what is at stake.
The Cowboys have to play the game and show how much they truly
appreciate the opportunity they have in front of them.
Cowboys’ fans can only sit back, watch the game, and hope their team
appreciates the opportunity that has been presented to them.
‘Nuff said.
Birds Of A Familiar
Fiendish Feather
No one within the Cowboys organization should need reminder of how
their playoffs chances ended last season, but – for those who
consider it a “never forget” moment – here you go.
The Eagles destroyed and ended the 2008 season for a Cowboys team
that had a playoff berth on the line – beating America’s Team 40-6.
All the Cowboys had to do was win the game – in any way, shape, or
form – and they would have been in the playoffs.
The Cowboys – who had more talent on their roster than the current
2009 playoff-bound team – were facing an Eagles team that most
prognosticators expected to either win or lose a close home game to
a desperate opponent.
The Cowboys looked anything but desperate in failing to win in one
of the most humiliating ways known in professional sports. Unlike
the down-and-out 2009 Chicago Bears who held on to beat the
playoff-bound Vikings in yesterday’s Monday Night Football game on
ESPN:
The Cowboys showed no fight.
The Cowboys showed no heart.
The Cowboys showed no nerve.
The Cowboys showed no urgency.
The Cowboys showed no will to win.
The Cowboys showed no confidence.
The Cowboys showed no nothing at all.
Did I miss anything? No? Good – because neither the Cowboys nor
their fans need anything to sneak up on them with such an incredible
opportunity lurking at Cowboys Stadium this coming Sunday afternoon.
The situation – this time around – may be a “little bit” different,
but the Cowboys still have a mental ton to gain – in continuing to
build their quiet confidence, developing a legitimate swagger, and
showing the professional football world that they can accomplish
anything to which they put their collective mind.
The Cowboys have already beaten the Eagles once this year – on the
road and in the most hostile of NFL environments.
The Cowboys gained control over the NFC East until losing two
straight to start the month of December. The Cowboys are poised for
a winner-take-all moment if they can – once again – defeat the
Eagles. A few things worth mentioning have changed since that early
season Cowboys victory.
The Eagles played the first game without their deadly running back
Brian Westbrook.
The Eagles will be playing the second game without their starting
center.
The Eagles have been scoring points in bunches with a wide range of
offensive weapons.
The Eagles have been allowing points in bunches to their opponents.
The Cowboys – on the other hand – played the first game with a
healthy and complete offensive line.
The Cowboys will potentially be playing the second game without
their starting right tackle – Marc Colombo – who has been out with a
broken fibula for the past six weeks.
The Cowboys will potentially be playing without one of their backup
safeties – Pat Watkins – for the second straight game.
The Cowboys have been methodical on offense – whether in winning or
losing – applying a rope-a-dope mix of pass and running plays to
opposing defenses.
The Cowboys have steadily become more methodical on defense as well
– balancing between man-to-man aggression and timely zone coverage –
delivering sacks, stopping the run, and preventing most big plays
from occurring.
Did I miss anything? No? Good – because the Cowboys do not need any
excuses sneaking up on them with such an incredible opportunity
lurking at Cowboys Stadium this coming Sunday afternoon . . . and
the fans do not want to hear any excuses, either.
Nice Execution – Not
Excuses
The differences between the first encounter between the Cowboys and
the Eagles and the second encounter on Sunday have been acknowledged
but count for nothing moving forward.
Both teams will show up with what is left of coaching and talent
that brought them to this point – injuries, external forces, and the
month of December notwithstanding.
The Cowboys have everything going for them at this moment in time.
The Cowboys should beat the Eagles on Sunday afternoon – cementing
the Cowboys’ first NFC East crown since the 2007 season and possibly
earning them the 2nd overall playoff seeding in the NFC.
The Cowboys can and will win as long as they devise a solid game
plan out of respect for what their opponent does well, execute that
game plan to an exhaustive level, and remain vigilant for surprises
and trick plays. Eagles head coach Andy Reid is probably whipping up
a batch of pickle juice pops right now - yummy.
Can the Cowboys’ offense outperform their Philly counterparts –
delivering the winning points, dominating time of possession,
deploying an accurate aerial assault, and driving a merciless ground
game? Can the Cowboys’ defense – once again – shut down a powerful
Philly offense that now includes Brian Westbrook as well? Will the
Cowboys allow the Eagles to embarrass them in the last game of the
season – once again? Has the Cowboys organization – from Jerry to
Wade to Red Ball to the players – really gotten the message of true
all out commitment yet?
They seem to think so, most fans seem to think so, and even some of
the prognosticators seem to agree, as well. Then again, that is the
beauty of today’s NFL: no matter how good you think you are, no
matter how good you really are, you must respect your opponent and
re-prove yourself every single game . . . or risk another
season-ending blowout loss.
America’s team is on the cusp of recollecting a small piece of their
former glory in order to continue building a new, better identity
than they have had in quite some time. Will “we think we can” be
replaced with “we know we can?” Can January become an even better month than December for
the Cowboys?
-
- We shall. We always do.
|
