I had to shut the TV...

[Juke99]

because the NFL network is now playing the last drive of the Ice Bowl.

I wonder what would have happened if we won that game....would the following two losses to Cleveland in the playoffs ever have happened?

That last drive was the classic example of a team that was simply mentally tough vs our finesse team....and a perplexing decision or two.

Our LB's were taking 15 yard drops and never adjusted to all the swing passes. On a day when completing a pass for over 10 yards was near impossible, it makes one wonder why we doubled the WR's on that last drive and left the backs open...and THEN, didn't adjust.

I do believe that Landry, great as he was, tended to "choke" at the most difficult times. When Staubach came along, he simply put the team on his shoulders...would call plays other than the ones Landry sent in, etc.

On the last play of the championship game the year before the Ice Bowl, it is common knowledge that Landry sent in a play with the wrong personnel on the last Meredith int in the endzone....the play left Bob Hayes blocking Dave Robinson, a LB. If Staubach was the QB, I wonder if he would have changed the play.

In any case, I've wasted enough time for the game to be over.

The only loss I can remember being worse than this one was the 38-14 loss to the Browns in the playoffs two years later.

[Yeagermeister]

They'll be showing "The Catch" game also :rolleyes:

[LaTunaNostra]

because the NFL network is now playing the last drive of the Ice Bowl.



Juke, couldn help but wonder what those minus 15 degree temps did to the BALL itself.

I KNOW Meredith didn't throw those ducks on a weekly basis - fascinating what that ICE BALL did (and didn't do) in the air. :confused:

[big dog cowboy]

They'll be showing "The Catch" game also :rolleyes:

As a huge Cowboy fan, I actually don't have a big problem with that play. What got me about the whole situation in that game was we had the opportunity to win but Danny White flat out blew it. So we are now stuck with watching Clark and his improbable catch. DAMMIT!:mad:

[blindzebra]

The thing about the Catch was Montana was throwing the ball away. He has said that had the Dallas defenders not jumped up to block the pass on the pump fake, and kept after him, he'd have ran out of bounds. By not going for the hit, they gave him a chance to save the yardage and throw it away.

The fluke catch and the mythology began later through ESPN.

[LeonDixson]

The thing about the Catch was Montana was throwing the ball away. He has said that had the Dallas defenders not jumped up to block the pass on the pump fake, and kept after him, he'd have ran out of bounds. By not going for the hit, they gave him a chance to save the yardage and throw it away.

The fluke catch and the mythology began later through ESPN.

I saw Montana discussing that play on TV several years ago and he said it was a play that Walsh had had them practicing all year. He said it unfolded exactly the way they had designed and practiced it. I wonder if he has changed his story? I guess both of his statements could be true if he meant that he could only make the throw he intended to make if the defenders had not bitten on the pump fake.

Did he actually say he was trying to throw it away? If he did, then he was lying on one or the other occasions.

[Tio]

I saw Montana discussing that play on TV several years ago and he said it was a play that Walsh had had them practicing all year. He said it unfolded exactly the way they had designed and practiced it. I wonder if he has changed his story? I guess both of his statements could be true if he meant that he could only make the throw he intended to make if the defenders had not bitten on the pump fake.

Did he actually say he was trying to throw it away? If he did, then he was lying on one or the other occasions.Montana lied to make it seem like it wasn't a fluke...

What I really hate is Dan Patrick said the cowboys were never the same after that play and Joe agreed...HELLO!!!They won 3 superbowls after that...

[blindzebra]

I saw Montana discussing that play on TV several years ago and he said it was a play that Walsh had had them practicing all year. He said it unfolded exactly the way they had designed and practiced it. I wonder if he has changed his story? I guess both of his statements could be true if he meant that he could only make the throw he intended to make if the defenders had not bitten on the pump fake.

Did he actually say he was trying to throw it away? If he did, then he was lying on one or the other occasions.

Shortly after the game, he said he was just trying to throw it away and Clark made a great catch.

The we practiced it all year story came later.

He made the defender comment on ESPN during "The Catch" revisted segment. If you watch Clark and Montana's reaction when Dan Patrick asked if they practiced the play, it was pretty obvious that they had not.

It became like any other game changing play, it EVOLVES over time, and the victors create the story. With a little help from ESPN. :D

[LeonDixson]

Shortly after the game, he said he was just trying to throw it away and Clark made a great catch.

The we practiced it all year story came later.

He made the defender comment on ESPN during "The Catch" revisted segment. If you watch Clark and Montana's reaction when Dan Patrick asked if they practiced the play, it was pretty obvious that they had not.

It became like any other game changing play, it EVOLVES over time, and the victors create the story. With a little help from ESPN. :D

I think you are right, BZ. Thanks.

[Juke99]

Damn kids talking about "the Catch"... :)

This thread is about the ICE BOWL...

Now, not that "the Catch" wasn't bothersome but we had already tasted success...and we were the old guys on the block giving way to the new generation...

But the Ice Bowl...OH the Ice Bowl...so much promise..we had lost to the Packers the year before...this was a better Dallas team...it was the beginning of the next dynasty....

Instead it was the beginning of disaster....a loss in Green Bay lead to the two losses in Cleveland...and then the Super Bowl loss to the Colts...

OUCH.

[TruBlueCowboy]

Shortly after the game, he said he was just trying to throw it away and Clark made a great catch.

The we practiced it all year story came later.

He made the defender comment on ESPN during "The Catch" revisted segment. If you watch Clark and Montana's reaction when Dan Patrick asked if they practiced the play, it was pretty obvious that they had not.

It became like any other game changing play, it EVOLVES over time, and the victors create the story. With a little help from ESPN. :D

I've heard both stories as well on "The Catch." Damn 49ers! :mad:

[blindzebra]

Damn kids talking about "the Catch"... :)

This thread is about the ICE BOWL...

Now, not that "the Catch" wasn't bothersome but we had already tasted success...and we were the old guys on the block giving way to the new generation...

But the Ice Bowl...OH the Ice Bowl...so much promise..we had lost to the Packers the year before...this was a better Dallas team...it was the beginning of the next dynasty....

Instead it was the beginning of disaster....a loss in Green Bay lead to the two losses in Cleveland...and then the Super Bowl loss to the Colts...

OUCH.

I guess we could discuss the mythology of Kramer's "block" on Starr's TD. :D

[Doomsday101]

I guess I take a different view on this. Seem people stay upset about these loses. Myself I look at as we played in some of the biggest games that the NFL has, some the greatest games in the history of the sports that has been played. We have won some and we have lost some and in most instance it took great plays from great teams to defeat us. I'll tip my hat to the Packers,Steelers and yes Niners as well as some other teams we have battled in big games because it took a great team to beat us I'll will never hang my head about those games

[Yeagermeister]

I guess I take a different view on this. Seem people stay upset about these loses. Myself I look at as we played in some of the biggest games that the NFL has, some the greatest games in the history of the sports that has been played. We have won some and we have lost some and in most instance it took great plays from great teams to defeat us. I'll tip my hat to the Packers,Steelers and yes Niners as well as some other teams we have battled in big games because it took a great team to beat us I'll will never hang my head about those games

I love that we have played in those games but get sick of seeing the catch over and over again.

[Doomsday101]

I love that we have played in those games but get sick of seeing the catch over and over again.

I look at it this way, it took that great of a catch to beat us. I hand it to the niners that day, both teams fought their butts off and in the end it took a great play to defeat us. I can live with that. Had we been up by 30 points and let a team come back and beat us (As the Oilers did) I could not live with that.

[Yeagermeister]

I look at it this way, it took that great of a catch to beat us. I hand it to the niners that day, both teams fought their butts off and in the end it took a great play to defeat us. I can live with that. Had we been up by 30 points and let a team come back and beat us (As the Oilers did) I could not live with that.

Wasn't there a blown call by the refs that gave the ball back to SF?

[Doomsday101]

If I remember correctly wasn't there a blown call by the refs that gave the ball back to SF?

I don't recall that but even if it was so what, bad calls unfortunately are part of the game as much as I hate to say so. Sorry it burns me when others make these claims about the Cowboys when we have won big games (Bad call, lucky and so on) I refuse to do that to others. If you want respect then you have to be able to give respect. I have always felt that you go out and give your best effort lay it all on the line and should you win, then show a bit of class and when you lose suck it up and show a little respect.

[CoCo1]

I don't recall that but even if it was so what, bad calls unfortunately are part of the game as much as I hate to say so. Sorry it burns me when others make these claims about the Cowboys when we have won big games (Bad call, lucky and so on) I refuse to do that to others. If you want respect then you have to be able to give respect. I have always felt that you go out and give your best effort lay it all on the line and should you win, then show a bit of class and when you lose suck it up and show a little respect.

I agree Dooms.

Frankly it bugs me a bit that so many Cowboy fans still seem obsessed by "The Catch".

Yeah, coulda, woulda, shoulda, and I still hope for different results whenever I see that game replay (just like I keep waiting for the flag to be thrown on Deion vs Irvin in 95). But it honestly doesn't "bug" me to see that play. Dallas' place in NFL lore (and the future) is very secure and doesn't need any what ifs.

Stuff happens and we need to get over it.

[Doomsday101]

I agree Dooms.

Frankly it bugs me a bit that so many Cowboy fans still seem obsessed by "The Catch".

Yeah, coulda, woulda, shoulda, and I still hope for different results whenever I see that game replay (just like I keep waiting for the flag to be thrown on Deion vs Irvin in 95). But it honestly doesn't "bug" me to see that play. Dallas' place in NFL lore (and the future) is very secure and doesn't need any what ifs.

Stuff happens and we need to get over it.

Thing is, that was a good Niner team it was not like we got beat by a bunch of no talent hacks, same could be said about the Steeler teams of the 70's. We fought them tooth and nail. While I hated the fact that we lost I was proud of the team on how we fought through out the game. That is why these games are considered classic's. Frankly the games that tend to bother me the most were games like the Playoff game aginst Detriot or the Cardnails because we did not go out and play good football thus never giving yourself a chance

[JR HELFRICK]

I watched alot of the NFL Network this weekend and they replayed alot of the Cowboy games. They just did not show the ones we lost, they showed all of the great Cowboy games. Even the ones we won. We owned the Packers for 30 years after that game. We have always owned the Niners exept in the 80's. Whats there to be bitter about?

[Juke99]

I guess I take a different view on this. Seem people stay upset about these loses. Myself I look at as we played in some of the biggest games that the NFL has, some the greatest games in the history of the sports that has been played. We have won some and we have lost some and in most instance it took great plays from great teams to defeat us. I'll tip my hat to the Packers,Steelers and yes Niners as well as some other teams we have battled in big games because it took a great team to beat us I'll will never hang my head about those games


Cleveland wasn't exactly a great team... and we lost 31-20; 38-14 in consecutive years...In fact, we were a much better than them both years...

and the superbowl loss to Baltimore wasn't about any great plays...in fact, it was a poorly played game.

Losing to Pittsburg and the 49ers was very different....

[Doomsday101]

Cleveland wasn't exactly a great team... and we lost 31-20; 38-14 in consecutive years...In fact, we were a much better than them both years...

and the superbowl loss to Baltimore wasn't about any great plays...in fact, it was a poorly played game.

Losing to Pittsburg and the 49ers was very different....


I agree with you and have said there are games I have been upset with such as the loss to Detriot in the playoffs and the Cards and yes you bring up some other examples where I felt our team was better yet played very poorly and lost.