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2009-2010 Regular Season: Postgame -
Birds Beaten, Cowboys Crowned, And
Rivals Readying For Revenge Rematch
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- January 7,
2010
At 1:09 AM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
The Dallas Cowboys won three games in a row to end the regular season.
The Dallas Cowboys shut out their second straight opponent for the
first time in franchise history.
The Dallas Cowboys shut out their bitter rival Philadelphia Eagles
for only the second time in franchise history.
The Dallas Cowboys swept the season series from the Eagles.
The Dallas Cowboys dominated an Eagles team that everyone in the
world – this past Sunday – was convinced would be out for blood and
a repeat of last year’s fatal finale.
The Dallas Cowboys won the NFC East division that everyone in the
world – at one point – was convinced was out of reach.
The Dallas Cowboys have begun to regularly display a great deal of
uncommon grit and maturity – taking early season lemons and making
late season lemonade.
The Dallas Cowboys deserve a round of congratulations for what they
have accomplished to close out their 2009 NFL regular season.
Congratulations To Wade
Phillips And The Defense
Wade Phillips – in winning his second division title in three years
– called the perfect defensive game plan against the Eagles.
Wade Phillips’ defensive wizardry resembled a vice grip that took
away all but one of Eagles’ QB Donavon McNabb’s weapons – talented
tight end Brent Celek – in clamping down on the Eagles’ offense all
game long.
Wade’s pass-defending wingmen left only the middle of the field and
seams open for intermediate catches – allowing Brent Celek to
essentially accumulate 7 catches for 96 hollow yards. When the
Eagles got within sniffing distance of the red zone, Wade’s warriors
shut down all traffic headed in that direction – on pass routes,
streets, highways, freeways, water ways, and mountain passes.
Do not let the catch yardage fool you, either. If you take away the
three big pass plays of the day for the Eagles – 25 yards to Celek,
31 yards to Jeremy Maclin, and 32 yards to DeSean Jackson – then,
McNabb’s rather pedestrian 20 of 36 for 223 yards would have sunk
even more down to Earth.
On a day when new emotional leader and veteran linebacker Keith
Brooking recorded not one single tackle, the rest of the Cowboys’
defenders tackled all tasks with amazing tenacity. That Brooking
only had to provide timely pass coverage explains all that fans
needed to know about how well the Cowboys played on defense.
While DeMarcus Ware was being doubled all game long, Anthony Spencer
responded from the other side, collecting two more sacks in his
continued onslaught of improvement. Bradie James and Jason Hatcher
pitched in with one more sack each, as well.
The Cowboys’ secondary – Mike Jenkins, Terence Newman, Orlando
Scandrick, Ken Hamlin, Gerald Sensabaugh, and Alan Ball – flew
around the football better and more aggressively than their
fine-feathered counterparts.
Wade’s run-stopping wide loads prevented anyone in the Eagles’
offensive backfield from seeing daylight. It did not matter who was
back there – McNabb, Brian Westbrook, LeShon McCoy, or Leonard
Weaver – and no one escaped. The Eagles amassed a paltry 37 rushing
yards on 10 carries.
Jay Ratliff, Igor Olshansky, Marcus Spears, and Stephen Bowen did
their dirty work – in tandem with Ware and Spencer – to clog up and
jam up line of scrimmage all day long. Ratliff even recovered a
McNabb fumble to end the Eagles’ only foray into the Cowboys’ red
zone.
The normally screen pass-happy Eagles received no joy on several of
their favorite plays out of the backfield, either.
Bobby Carpenter continued on his own quest for personal improvement
with three more solid tackles and aggressive pursuit of passing
targets, as well. Whether Carpenter eventually proves to be a
situational or every-down player, it appears that Wade may finally
be getting more out of this Parcells’ guy than did Parcells.
Congratulations To Jason
Garrett And The Offense
Jason Garrett called the perfect offensive game plan against the
Eagles.
Mohammad Ali would have been proud of the rope-a-dope style of
offense Red Ball has the Cowboys playing now.
The Cowboys are running to set up the pass.
The Cowboys are passing to set up the run.
The Cowboys are running inside, outside, and down the seams.
The Cowboys are passing inside, outside, and down the seams.
Noticeably absent from the menu of tasty play calls were the
Razorback formation and other assorted trick plays . . . that may
and should come in handy in Saturday’s playoff game against a now
thoroughly angry and certainly embarrassed Eagles team.
Jason’s offensive juggernauts are beginning to properly execute and
finish drives, delivering points more often than not.
Tony Romo and Co. simply outperformed their counterparts in every
major category, winning the most important offensive battles.
The Cowboys won the time of possession battle.
The Cowboys won the first down battle.
The Cowboys won the third down efficiency battle.
The Cowboys won the passing efficiency battle.
The Cowboys won the passing yardage battle.
The Cowboys won the rushing efficiency battle.
The Cowboys won the rushing yardage battle.
The Cowboys won the red zone efficiency battle.
- The Cowboys won the turnover battle.
Tony Romo was a methodical 24 of 34 for 311 yards and two touchdowns
against the vaunted Eagles’ defense. Even his lone interception of
the game was the result of a tipped pass.
He has now delivered solid performances for five straight games –
against the New York Giants, the San Diego Chargers, the New Orleans
Saints, the Washington Redskins, and the Philadelphia Eagles.
He effectively employed Garrett’s rope-a-dope calls all game long –
with a nice mix of short, intermediate, and long passes. Five
receiver sets also helped keep the Eagles’ normally ferocious blitz
alignment on the sideline for most of the game.
Romo successfully used seven different receivers to keep the Eagles’
defensive secondary on a swivel.
Patrick Crayton had a ridiculous four catches for 99 yards. Crayton
is often accused of being one of the slowest receivers with two of
the best pass-catching hands in the NFL. He is deceptively quick
when it counts, and he took advantage of big openings in the Eagles’
zone coverage.
Miles Austin had an “off” game with an unimpressive seven catches
for 90 yards, a long of only 40 yards, and no touchdowns. It seems
that defenses have finally begun to adjust to his act.
Jason Witten added another reliable six catches for 76 yards. While
Witten has no problem being one of the focal points or the main one
for Romo, he must be grinning from ear to ear with how well the
Cowboys have been spreading the ball around . . . and distributing
some of his typically heavy game day burden towards everyone else.
This is the only way – ultimately – that some of the lesser used and
younger promising players will be able to contribute.
Kevin Ogletree – one of those promising players – extended his
branches for a nice and timely 15 yard catch.
Did anyone see Roy Williams? Did he even dress? Oh, he did actually
have three passes thrown to him, but I digress . . .
John Phillips is another up-and-comer who delivered two more catches
for 14 yards. I said it before, and I will say it again: John
Phillips’ quick and steady rookie development will prove the end of
Martellus Bennett’s career with the Cowboys if Bennett does not
start contributing to more than just solid blocking for the running
game. Something tells me that John Phillips has a pretty good handle
on blocking as well.
While Marion Barber and Felix Jones made small but effective
contributions to the passing game, they took turns playing the fast
car and the tough car in the Cowboys’ running game. The Eagles did
not know who was who by the end of the game. Both backs displayed
equal doses of speed and strength, near equal touches, and identical
yardage.
Barber rushed 14 times for 91 yards with a long of 32 – and Jones
rushed 15 times for 91 yards, once touchdown, and a long of 49.
Tashard Choice left the game in the first quarter – as a
precautionary measure – with a blow to the head. Choice – who has
been encased in plastic wrap and collecting dust for the past few
games – should be ready to roll for this Saturday’s home playoff
game unless the new NFL concussion rules categorize his bump as
something more.
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- While Choice would have chosen to
remain in the game, starting right tackle Marc Colombo - he of the
broken fibula suffered weeks ago - has participated fully in
practice this week and would like to be chosen for participation
against the Eagles. The Cowboys would be welcoming back the
"attitude" in their offensive line. Whether Colombo started or
substituted, the Cowboys' offensive line would greatly benefit from
some fresh muscle.
Last but not least was some excellent downfield blocking – with no
better example than right tackle Doug Free – along with Jason Witten
– delivering key blocks on Felix Jones’ 49 yard touchdown run.
Glamorous plays – and the players who make them – receive all of the
attention, but more blocking like that from anyone on the Cowboys’
offense will be appreciated by teammate and fan alike.
Congratulations To Joe
DeCamillis And The Special Teams
Joe DeCamillis called the perfect special teams game plan against
the Eagles.
The Cowboys’ special teams players played their gaps, made their
blocks, and made their tackles. Otherwise, DeCamillis’ dudes must
have been pretty bored with no kick-offs to return and no big punt
returns with such great field position for most of the game.
Shaun Suisham added a little flavor – after nailing a 44 yard kick
just before halftime – by “role-playing” as Nick Folk and missing a
second half 30 yard gimme. Funny guy, that Sean.
Nonetheless, with every game that the Cowboys’ special teams play
steady or improve, the less a pain in the backside they prove to be
to their teammates and their recovering coordinator . . . and that
man deserves a break, err – a rest and a raise.
Congratulations To Jerry
Jones
Jerry Jones made a number of off-season roster moves – with input
from Wade and Jason – that were designed to
encourage his team to reach higher and become more than paper
champions. While his personnel decisions did not have to stop at the
players, Jerry chose sometimes painful and unnatural patience over
haste with Wade and Jason . . . and he was rewarded in fine style.
Penalties O’ Plenty
The only area where the Eagles outperformed the Cowboys was in
penalties – types and amount of yardage.
While the Eagles were only penalized six times for 58 yards, the
Cowboys were penalized eleven times for 80 yards.
Anyone in the NFL will tell you that penalties – any kind – are bad
and will eventually come back to haunt you if you continuously play
sloppy against opponents that excel at taking advantage of your
mistakes.
An argument can be made for the sheer anxiety or excitement Andre
Gurode and his line-mates were experiencing – and they were
certainly not the only Cowboys culprits – but they know better than
to give a team like the Eagles even an inch of free real estate.
While it is a testament to how well the Cowboys were playing that
the penalties had little effect on their game plan, they have no
excuse for any of the mega-silly miscues that might have changed the
game in Philly’s favor.
The Cowboys must improve on reducing their penalties during a time
of year where the season has been reduced to “one and done” for the
ill-prepared.
Satisfaction Through
Improvement
Tony Romo commented during his post-game interview that "We haven't
arrived and we haven't accomplished anything. This is a step in the
process to continue to get to where we want to go. It's a positive
one, definitely, but we still need to keep improving. There's
hopefully a lot of season left."
Keith Brooking – for his part as the emotional leader of the
Cowboys’ defense – has been singing the same song to his teammates
all season long as well.
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- Both of these team leaders for the
Cowboys - yes, even Romo in his own way - know they have yet to play
their best game, know they made mistakes against the Eagles, and
know the enemy will be looking to take advantage of those mistakes
in Saturday's rematch.
The only way the Cowboys can hope to achieve one, some, or all of
their post-season goals is to coach and play to the very best of
their abilities by remaining acutely observant and respectful of –
but not in awe of – their opponents capabilities on every possible
level.
No more freebees – unbridled penalties, dropped passes, opposing
receivers beating coverage deep by a few steps, and missed
kicks – either, because you never know when you may need perfect
execution to stave off playoff elimination.
Almost all of the Cowboys’ players – to paraphrase Romo and Brooking
– are on the improvement bus. Roy Williams, Martellus Bennett, and
Shaun Suisham need to get onboard that bus as well.
Roy and Martellus have looked like ghosts on the grid iron, but a
few good catches by these two talented goony birds will have
everyone just downright giddy. They know it. Their teammates know
it. The fans know it. The Eagles dread any additional firepower
coming from the Cowboys’ offense.
Suisham must be on a mission to swish ‘em . . . lest Wade and Jerry
decide to squish him. His teammates know it. The fans know it. The
Eagles dread any additional points coming from the Cowboys’ offense.
Improvement means progress, and the Cowboys will gain satisfaction –
what they seek to achieve – through improvement, but only with all
hands on deck.
Minor Distractions From The
Peanut Gallery
DeSean Jackson sounded as sore and embarrassed as he should have
been after being humiliated by the Cowboys in the last game of the
season. His “stinging” comments and behavior this week – however
childish – are understandable and were to be expected.
Fans, though, probably expected better of Dallas Mavericks’ owner
Mark Cuban this week.
I have always been a Mavericks fan since the NBA first granted Don
Carter and Norm Sonju the right to establish the Mavericks in 1980.
I have fond memories of the early days and scrappy efforts of Mark
Aguirre, Rolando Blackmon, Sam Perkins, Derrick Harper, James
Donaldson, and other players.
I also have nothing but admiration and respect for the incredible
year-in-year-out effort Cuban puts forth to field a winning team –
whether or not I entirely agree with his approach, comments, or
decisions all the time. Cuban and Jerry Jones have that in common
with each other.
“Spare no expense!” – Richard Attenborough as eccentric billionaire
John Hammond in “Jurassic Park.”
When Cuban lashed out at the NFL, however, because it scheduled two
of its playoff games at the same time as prime time NBA games – he
crossed the line unnecessarily.
He was spot on when he suggested that the NBA is the lesser of the
two leagues on a number of levels. He has a right to be frustrated by
potentially losing a large chunk of his home team crowd to a much
bigger game across town, but that is the key he needs to remember.
The Mavericks are nowhere close to finishing their regular season.
The Cowboys have finished their regular season, and they are now in
the playoffs.
The Mavericks – should they make the playoffs again this year – get
to play in at least one best-of-seven series.
The Cowboys get to play one playoff game and move on to the next
round if they win.
The Mavericks recently got obliterated by close to 40 points by a
superior Los Angeles Lakers team – with Kobe Bryant sporting a
broken finger on his shooting hand and still delivering big numbers.
The Mavericks play the Utah Jazz during the broadcast of the Cowboys
home playoff game on Saturday. Cuban is upset over a regular season
game against their long-time rivals, the Utah Jazz? Maybe if Karl
Malone and John Stockton were coming out of retirement to play but –
the Utah Jazz? How about a rematch with the Lakers?!
I love Cuban’s immense passion for the Mavericks and the NBA, but
shame on him for such a silly comparison and complaint. It is one
game out of 82 regular season games.
Suddenly DeSean Jackson sounds a little less childish – just a
little.
The Trap Has Been Set
The Cowboys have won two games out of what has become a three game
set.
The past is in the past, but fans remember what happened the last
time the Cowboys swept a division foe in the regular season and faced
them at home in the playoffs.
Cowboys’ haters everywhere expect the Cowboys to tank against the
Eagles this Saturday just like the Cowboys tanked against the New
York Giants during the 2007 playoffs.
“Everyone knows the Cowboys cannot beat the same opponent three
times in the same year.”
If there ever was a “trap playoff game,” the Cowboys home playoff
game against the Eagles on Saturday night is that exactly . . . but
who will be trapped is the short-term mystery.
The Eagles will undoubtedly show up with plenty of piss and vinegar.
The Eagles will undoubtedly attempt to blitz Tony Romo from every
possible angle.
The Eagles will undoubtedly attempt to revive their explosive
offense.
Objectively – with all the non-myopic sanity I can muster – it
should not matter what the Eagles attempt to do to change their
fortunes on Saturday evening. The Cowboys should win.
The Cowboys have been steadily designing and executing game plans –
at an increasing rate – around a healthy respect for the maximum
capabilities of their past five opponents to close out the regular
season.
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- This all goes back to my statement
on how the Cowboys can simply and successfully rebuild their
mystique:
Modern Day Mystique Must Be Earned And Maintained.
Such an approach is ideal as it keeps the entire organization on
alert for every possible play, scheme, or trick an opponent – like
the Eagles – might have up their collective sleeve . . . and the
Cowboys can count on the Eagles pulling out all the stops in a
win-or-go-home scenario.
It is arguable that the pressure is equally on the Eagles to produce
a playoff victory with a team that was built to win now and win big
with a big head coach who just signed a big contract extension.
On the other hand, if “no one” expects the Cowboys to succeed, then,
Jerry’s kids should simply put “expectations” out of sight and out
of mind. There is no point in worrying about what might occur until
after it has occurred . . . if it occurs at all.
The Cowboys’ coaches and players can only take care of business on
the grid iron and on game day – as usual. Prognosticators are not
playing the game. Fans are not playing the game.
Wade, Jason, and Joe will draw up a solid game plan, coach the
players on that game plan, and call creative reliable plays from
that game plan.
The Cowboys’ defense, offense, and special teams will execute those
plays from that game plan.
The only element that can ruin what has been a great approach by the
Cowboys over the past few weeks . . . is a lack of respect for the
enemy – as I have said for the umpteenth time.
The Cowboys have gobs of respect for what the Eagles can bring on
game day . . . and they never want to experience 44-6 again – in any
season.
If the Cowboys game plan for the possible and the impossible –
including onside kicks and pickle juice potions – the Cowboys will
be victorious.
If the Cowboys can continue to blend their hearts and minds, the
Cowboys will be victorious.
If the Cowboys beat the Eagles for the third time in one season -
which would certainly be impressive - there will be little time for
more congratulations, and there will be no rest for the weary. The same
game-planning requirements and game day approach would await the
Cowboys in the next round of the NFL playoffs.
Who will refuse to fall for the trap game? Who will prepare and play
as if their playoff lives really do depend on it? Who will remind themselves
that victory on Saturday night is just one step in a series of steps
towards a much bigger goal? The Cowboys or the Eagles?
We shall see. We always do.
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