the day after

[dbair1967]

As I posted in another thread, last night has to rank with some of the lowest of the lows for this franchise..I really wont be surprised if the season totally tanks now and we end up 6-10 or 5-11 again...some thoughts...it isnt losing last night so much as the WAY we lost...only BAD teams lose the way we did

1) its just way, way past time to get rid of Mike Zimmer...I could spend days listing all the suckness in regards to him, but the blatant truth is the guy just cant coach with a lead...every yr we see multiple games similar to last night where we play well for 45-50 minutes or so then totally collapse down the stretch

2) I kinda get the relatively conservative playcalling and dink and dunk game plan early in the game, but it became obvious as the game wore on that the Skins werent going to come after Bledsoe...at some point you have to get a little more aggressive in the playcalling and throw in the intermediate to deep areas more...we called way too many dink passes into the flats and behind the LOS last night, and not going for the TD at least once on the last fg drive (when Tyson Thompson was in the game) was pretty stupid as well

3) I know you dont want to run the guy into the ground and it was really hot, but if I'm coaching the team Julius Jones is the RB in the redzone everytime unless the game is in hand..we had two redzone possessions with Tyson Thompson and Anthony Thomas in the game, and niether came close to getting a TD...JJ is a TD machine

4) everyone is blasting Roy Williams, but the guy had a great game other than two plays, and the first TD I am relatively sure wasnt his fault...he was everywhere otherwise, cracking Portis, rushing Brunell, forcing a big fumble...and despite contentions otherwise, the int before the first TD WAS broken up by Anthony Henry...

5) I dont really understand why after Santana Moss beat Glenn for the first TD that there was even one play where Glenn would line up on him again...Glenn is old and nowhere near as fast as Moss...we pay the big bucks to Newman and Henry to shut these kinds of WR's down...its yet another example of stupidity by Zimmer

6) that play where Canty sacked Brunell was a glimpse to the future for sure...Canty and Spears were both there, and Ware was looping around for the hit as well had Canty not flattened Brunell

7) it sure seemed to me that putting Ware on Jon Jansen would have been a major mismatch in our favor...instead, Ware lined up almost exclusively at ROLB or RDE and the one play where I did notice Ware on Jansen, he blew right by him and would have easily sacked Brunell had Roy Williams not got there first (the 17yd sack play)...more Zimmer genius there

8) it might not have mattered, but I think Parcells blew one by not challenging on Scott Shanle chase down sack...sure looked like Brunell fumbled well before going down, and the official closest to the play didnt rule down by contact either...Ware recovered I believe...instead of having the ball around the 40-45, they punted us deep in our territory

9) Drew Bledsoe wasnt as sharp as he was vs SD, but he made a number of really nice throws...too bad a couple of good ones didnt count due to penalty...it also wasnt his fault that the playcalling in the redzone was bad

10) after Roy Williams forced the fumble to end the first half, we had the ball around the 35-36 yd line...doesnt appear Parcells gave even a smidgen of thought to allowing Cortez try the 52-53 yd fg...and we wasted an opportunity...if you dont have confidence in your kicker with a strong leg at Texas Stadium to even TRY that kick, then he shouldnt be here kicking

11) they need to throw away any plays that resemble screen passes, as well as the formation where they line up either Witten or Campbell at FB as a lead blocker....

12) I honestly believe this is the most talent and depth we've had on defense since the 1992 championship team...which makes losing the way we did last night all the more unbelievable to me

13) I know its only two games, but shouldnt they be calling some plays where Witten runs more than 5-6 yds downfield? Isnt downfield where he creates more mismatches? Also didnt appear he was even remotely considered as an option in the redzone last night, and thats just stupid

14) maybe Bruce Dehaven can coach some afterall...last nights special teams were pretty solid, and Tyson Thompson's long return should have had us set up nicely for a potential game winning fg drive

15) last night basically shot all my optimism for this season...as I mentioned above, only bad teams with bad coaching lose the way we did last night..giving up 14 pts and nearly 200 yds with the game on the line to a totally impotent offensive team in one quarter is just inexcusable no matter how you spin it...I'll be very surprised if this teams makes a playoff run now...

David

[Billy Bullocks]

I thought I introduced you to my friend Ralph Positivity...

http://www.cam.net.uk/home/Nimmann/radio/ralph-positive.jpg


DBair, this is Ralph Positivity, Ralph, this is DBair. Tell him about the importance of realizing it's early, we're 1-1, and by no means out of the playoff race. Because Ralph and I would not be the least bit surprised if we won 8 or 9 more games this year.

[Nors]

Get a grip -

This is a team on the upswing. One tough loss. No way is this even close to a franchise low.

We had 5 (FIVE) Sacks - Spears, Canty, Ware

WE TOTALLY DOMINATED FOR 55 MINUTES. Happens - we blew it.

Lets get ready to rock San Fran. You are absolutely off the deep end in gloom (again)

After we throttle San Fran this will be a speedbumb.

[Jay]

I knew this was gonna come.. people are blowing this completely out of proportion.

[trickblue]

I knew this was gonna come.. people are blowing this completely out of proportion.

It's what Cowboy fans do... :rolleyes:

[SultanOfSix]

1) its just way, way past time to get rid of Mike Zimmer...I could spend days listing all the suckness in regards to him, but the blatant truth is the guy just cant coach with a lead...every yr we see multiple games similar to last night where we play well for 45-50 minutes or so then totally collapse down the stretch
David

This fact is what gets me. He coaches a good game for three quarters, and the 4th quarter comes and he suffers repeated brain farts. These collapses have been happening for many years, prior to Parcells' arrival. Since we've upgraded in talent, the only conclusion I can come to is the coaching. It's been the only consistent thing that I can think of, and I am by no means a Zimmer basher. These 4th quarter collapses have got to stop. Remember that stat they showed: Parcells is (was now) 77-0 when leading by 13+ points going into the 4th quarter. It's not a surprise to me that streak was broken with Zimmer coaching the defense. It's just happened too many times before.

[MichaelWinicki]

Get a grip -

This is a team on the upswing. One tough loss. No way is this even close to a franchise low.

We had 5 (FIVE) Sacks - Spears, Canty, Ware

WE TOTALLY DOMINATED FOR 55 MINUTES. Happens - we blew it.

Lets get ready to rock San Fran. You are absolutely off the deep end in gloom (again)

After we throttle San Fran this will be a speedbumb.


Nors, good teams don't lose games like that... they really don't.

To me that was the worse loss we've had since getting beat by Houston to start the '02 season. That was a black eye for this franchise and our fan base.

[NOVA 22]

Really well written post. I share your concerns but do think its early to panic especially with a young team full of guys fighting for playing time. they're easier to motivate.

As JJT says, get used to conservative offense, but isn't part of that the occasional deep pass to keep people honest? were there even 2 last night?

[dbair1967]

Nors, good teams don't lose games like that... they really don't.

To me that was the worse loss we've had since getting beat by Houston to start the '02 season. That was a black eye for this franchise and our fan base.

totally agree...this teams was SUPPOSED to be eons better than that 02 teams, and clearly from a talent standpoint is

last night was a totally rotten loss no matter how some of the spin doctors want to play it...it showed the team hasnt really learned anything about how to win a game or put a team away but instead showed that we clearly know how to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory

David

[dbair1967]

Get a grip -

This is a team on the upswing. One tough loss. No way is this even close to a franchise low.

We had 5 (FIVE) Sacks - Spears, Canty, Ware

WE TOTALLY DOMINATED FOR 55 MINUTES. Happens - we blew it.

Lets get ready to rock San Fran. You are absolutely off the deep end in gloom (again)

After we throttle San Fran this will be a speedbumb.

Nors, if we had "totally dominated" we'd have been up by more than 13 pts...

5 sacks dont mean jack if when the game is on the line you allow a 35 yr old QB with two bum knees to scramble for 25 yds on 3rd and 27, or allow the same 35yr old QB with a totally rag arm to throw two perfect bombs for tds

"we blew it" is a constant with this team...and its been that way with every coach since JJ, including Mr Parcells...I'm not blaming Parcells, but this team is doing the same garbage it did the first day he came here

David

[bbgun]

So in order for Ware to succeed, we have to make sure he's matched up against some guy with two broken thumbs. Great. Speaking of the day after:

http://www.123imagehost.com/uploads/235-798-BE042676.jpg

[Billy Bullocks]

I just got this from Ralphie

http://www.urbanized-records.com/home/pics/jackets/6000/6185.jpg

[MichaelWinicki]

totally agree...this teams was SUPPOSED to be eons better than that 02 teams, and clearly from a talent standpoint is

last night was a totally rotten loss no matter how some of the spin doctors want to play it...it showed the team hasnt really learned anything about how to win a game or put a team away but instead showed that we clearly know how to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory

David


Can this team recover and post a nice record? Absolutely. But I don't think I can "trust" it again this season. 2005 will forever be marred by the Monday night debacle.

[Nors]

Nors, good teams don't lose games like that... they really don't.

To me that was the worse loss we've had since getting beat by Houston to start the '02 season. That was a black eye for this franchise and our fan base.


One loss

Hardly the low point in franchise history. I expected you to agree with David. The Glooms brothers!

[Nors]

2003 Pats were throttled 1st game 31-0 by your Bledsoe led Bills. Happenst to even the great teams. And we are far from great yet - who said that?

This is an up and coming team, to some individuals horror it appears in the peanut gallery!

[DipChit]

Nors, good teams don't lose games like that... they really don't.

To me that was the worse loss we've had since getting beat by Houston to start the '02 season. That was a black eye for this franchise and our fan base.

I think you mean.. great.. teams dont lose like that. Because "good" teams find various ways to lose every Sunday. Unless you think theres only about 2 good teams in the league.

If Moss drops one of those balls and we win, are people still jumping off bridges? If we were truly bad we would've found a way to blow the S.D. game too. What if the 2 games were reversed and we just beat S.D? Would we be thinking all was right in the world because we finally "got it" since low and behold we didnt blow a late lead?

The bottomline is we're still just not good enough to keep things like this from happening. And those that are all whiny about it are probably those that just thought we could mail in the victory because they think we have more individual talent. Well this just in, the NFL isnt solely about individual talent.

[MarionBarberThe4th]

We went form a minimum 5 peat superbowl champs to 5-11 on 2 plays.

[gimpy007]

Get a grip -

This is a team on the upswing. One tough loss. No way is this even close to a franchise low.

We had 5 (FIVE) Sacks - Spears, Canty, Ware

WE TOTALLY DOMINATED FOR 55 MINUTES. Happens - we blew it.

Lets get ready to rock San Fran. You are absolutely off the deep end in gloom (again)

After we throttle San Fran this will be a speedbumb.

It was a good game and yes your D did impress me but you did not TOTALLY DOMINAT FOR 55 MINUTES. Look at the stats. We were neck in neck other then then the sacks.

[MichaelWinicki]

We went form a minimum 5 peat superbowl champs to 5-11 on 2 plays.


I think we should start circulating a petition to disband the franchise.

[dstew60105]

It was a good game and yes your D did impress me but you did not TOTALLY DOMINAT FOR 55 MINUTES. Look at the stats. We were neck in neck other then then the sacks.

Back out the two TD drives and it was domination for 55 minutes. Through 3 1/2 quarters the Skins had 180 yards of offense. You do the math from here.

[Ashwynn]

It sucks for sure, but its not the end of the world. We lose 10 games every year. Hows this one worse. Sure the way we lost it really bites, but come on man. Its a game that means nothing to you and me in our daily life. the only impact that game had on us was it dictated what we talked about around the water cooler.

Its a tough lose but its only a lose and it wont be the last one we ever suffer.

[MichaelWinicki]

It sucks for sure, but its not the end of the world. We lose 10 games every year. Hows this one worse. Sure the way we lost it really bites, but come on man. Its a game that means nothing to you and me in our daily life. the only impact that game had on us was it dictated what we talked about around the water cooler.

Its a tough lose but its only a lose and it wont be the last one we ever suffer.


True... the Niners are going to spank us. :D

[DipChit]

Well, they certainly could spank us, Mike. And believe it or not, even if we would've won the game 13-0 last night (by 60 minutes of so called domination as opposed to 55), they still could've spanked us come Sunday.

Anyone who doesnt understand this isnt paying attention.

[windward]

Can this team recover and post a nice record? Absolutely. But I don't think I can "trust" it again this season. 2005 will forever be marred by the Monday night debacle.

forever marred? So, if this team turns it around and qualifies for the playoffs, it will still be marred? Was our Super Bowl season in 1992 "marred" by being blown out by Philly 31-7 on Monday night or when we blew a 17-7 lead against the Skins at RFK?

[MichaelWinicki]

forever marred? So, if this team turns it around and qualifies for the playoffs, it will still be marred? Was our Super Bowl season in 1992 "marred" by being blown out by Philly 31-7 on Monday night or when we blew a 17-7 lead against the Skins at RFK?


This team is "cursed"... can't you feel it? :D

[jimmy40]

I knew this was gonna come.. people are blowing this completely out of proportion.That's what I was saying last week.

[bigdrulez3141]

Don't get me wrong this was a really tough loss we definately had no killer instinct. but you just got to remember we are a young team we will only get better and the season IS NOT OVER we are 1-1. Our players will learn from this loss and trust me BP will make them learn.

[dbair1967]

So in order for Ware to succeed, we have to make sure he's matched up against some guy with two broken thumbs. Great. Speaking of the day after:

http://www.123imagehost.com/uploads/235-798-BE042676.jpg

uh no, thats called game planning against an opponents obvious weakness...its what good coaches in the NFL do, and bad ones (like Mr Z) dont

David

[CoCo]

There simply are some who after a devestating disappointment must be definitive about all hope being lost.

I understand the 'potential' for devestating losses to have carryover impact but like most things in sports it is far from an exact science. That's why they play the games.

Personally, give me the people who can survive a devestating blow and get back on their feet to fight, and win, again.

The determining factor IMO is more in the hearts of individuals than the circumstances themselves.

I believe this team will fight on.

[LeonDixson]

This team is "cursed"... can't you feel it? :D

We need an emoticon of someone stirring the pot. :muttley:

[vicjagger]

8) it might not have mattered, but I think Parcells blew one by not challenging on Scott Shanle chase down sack...sure looked like Brunell fumbled well before going down, and the official closest to the play didnt rule down by contact either...Ware recovered I believe...instead of having the ball around the 40-45, they punted us deep in our territory

That was a fumble but it rolled right back into Brunell's chest. We (Ware or whomever) didn't recover it.

[dbair1967]

That was a fumble but it rolled right back into Brunell's chest. We (Ware or whomever) didn't recover it.

would have to go back and look then, because I'm pretty sure our guy came up with the ball

David

[DMX690]

This week game against SF will determine how well the rest of the season will go. If they come out and play there best then we should have no problem beating SF, but if the lost is still in the players mind then SF will beat us. Its up to the players to move on and don't dwell about th choke job last night. Learn from it and avoid another collaspe.

[AmishCowboy]

Hey, I Really though that we would lose to the Chargers and beat the Redskins, so we are still 1-1. Let's see how the Niners game goes before everybody jumps ship, last nites game taught the younger players a hard lesson. You have to admit that they looked good, especially Spears and Canty.

[Nors]

Its pretty clear who the fighters are and those that fold up and crumble.

[Cbz40]

"12) I honestly believe this is the most talent and depth we've had on defense since the 1992 championship team...which makes losing the way we did last night all the more unbelievable to me"


Maybe this team will turn out to be more like the 91 Team.....went 11-5, beat the Bears in a playoff game and then lost to the Detroit Lions 38-6 Divisional finals....


ps: If we keep playing for FGs...forget it.

[MichaelWinicki]

"12) I honestly believe this is the most talent and depth we've had on defense since the 1992 championship team...which makes losing the way we did last night all the more unbelievable to me"


Maybe this team will turn out to be more like the 91 Team.....went 11-5, beat the Bears in a playoff game and then lost to the Detroit Lions 38-6 Divisional finals....


ps: If we keep playing for FGs...forget it.

CBZ that's exactly right. I've seen this "act" before. The last 3-years in Buffalo. It's not the way to build a winning program.

[big dog cowboy]

Nors, good teams don't lose games like that... they really don't.
:hammer:

Well said Michael

[Smith22]

We didn't recover the MB fumble, it bounced right back to him.

[dbair1967]

Its pretty clear who the fighters are and those that fold up and crumble.

wow Nors your right fir a change...they did fold up and crumble the other night...total meltdown

David

[DLCassidy]

Nice post dbair- except for your conclusions. You have a lot of good insights, but I fully expect us to bounce back strongly from this loss. In fact I don't expect us to lose again before the bye. This is where Bill Parcells earns his paycheck and reputation. We're 1-1, but all you can do now is play the games on the schedule one at a time. I like this team and I like our chances. As fans we can wallow forever in the "what-if" game, pros have to move on. This week's SF.

[WV Cowboy]

You guys that are all doom and gloom, and are ready to jump ship or give up on the Cowboys this season need to get a grip.

But you guys that are all cheery and not concerned, and say, "it's only one game", or "it's just a game and doesn't affect us" need to check yourself as well.

When you prepare all week, or all preseason for that matter, to win games, .. and then go out and do everything that you prepared to do, and you control the game and put your self in position to win a game against a team you should beat, but then you let up and let it sip away in the manner we did, that is unacceptable.

This was our 2005 HOME OPENER !
This was Monday Night Football !
This was the stinkin' Redskins !
This was the Triplets inductin into the Ring of Honor.

I'm not sure yet what it says about a team that lets that slip away the way we did, but time will tell.

A good team wouldn't have let that slip away.

I am not giving up on them, and I will be cheering like crazy for them against the 9ers, but the way the last 5 minutes went down is very disturbing.

[Aikmaniac]

David, I agree completely with everything you said. BTW, great breakdown of the game.

I said moments after the game in the chat room that that embarrassment reminded me of the Texans game.

I think most of you Mr. Positive people are missing David's point. This team has the talent to be more than just a run-of-the-mill Wild Card team. With all of these acquisitions and draftees...this team has the talent to be competing with Philly for the NFC crown. Yes, I know we're young at defense, but on offense there's clearly a veteran foundation. Why the reason to "take pressure off Bledsoe"? That's the wrong Drew to take pressure off of. If Romo or Henson were in there, I could understand the conservative playcalling, but these guys are seasoned vets. Why handcuff them against a crap team?

Again, good call David.

[InmanRoshi]

Nors, good teams don't lose games like that... they really don't.

Yes they do.... they really do.

Last year, New England lost to the Miami Dolphins on a Monday Night game when they blew an 11 point lead with 3 minutes left. The Dolphins scored 2 TDs in the final 2:07 to beat the Patriots 29-28.

That would be the 4-12 Dolphins, who's coach had already quit the team. And that would be the 14-2 New England Patriots who had a lot on the line in that game, fighting with Pittsburgh for home field advantage in the playoffs.

[Doomsday101]

Yes they do.... they really do.

Last year, New England lost to the Miami Dolphins on a Monday Night game when they blew an 11 point lead with 3 minutes left. The Dolphins scored 2 TDs in the final 2:07 to beat the Patriots 29-28.

That would be the 4-12 Dolphins, who's coach had already quit the team.


I agree and even our SB team in 92 lost to the likes of Phoenix
Philadelphia and L.A. Rams all of those teams were p!ss poor teams. Folks need to settle down we lost a game we will survive

[Justis]

Upsets happen, heck we usually start losing to Washington when we get good. I think next week will suck, because the best we can hope for is to make par. We bogied on monday, and now we just need to make a few upsets of our own. At least we aren't the Vikes or Ravens who also were touted to have had outstanding off-seasons and both are standing at an impotent 0-2.

[StevenOtero]

This team should be motivated by that loss. Lets go 15 - 1!

[Justis]

This team should be motivated by that loss. Lets go 15 - 1! Dude, that's too optimistic, lets go 2-1 and see where that takes us.

[WV Cowboy]

Yes they do.... they really do.

Last year, New England lost to the Miami Dolphins on a Monday Night game when they blew an 11 point lead with 3 minutes left. The Dolphins scored 2 TDs in the final 2:07 to beat the Patriots 29-28.

That would be the 4-12 Dolphins, who's coach had already quit the team. And that would be the 14-2 New England Patriots who had a lot on the line in that game, fighting with Pittsburgh for home field advantage in the playoffs.
Thanks IR, that is recent enough, and the circumstances similar enough to make me feel a little better.

How we handle this as a team will be the key.

[CaptainAmerica]

Monday nights have recently been a frequent site for amazing comebacks.

Our game on Monday Night; the Miami/NE game last year; The Indy/TB game the year before and the Miami/Jets game a few years ago. Those are just the ones off the top of my head.

[dallasblue05]

totally agree...this teams was SUPPOSED to be eons better than that 02 teams, and clearly from a talent standpoint is

last night was a totally rotten loss no matter how some of the spin doctors want to play it...it showed the team hasnt really learned anything about how to win a game or put a team away but instead showed that we clearly know how to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory

David


I am not oe to be disrespectful, but this is way too much of an overreaction, like a high school girl would act when she found out Mr. right was in love with the other co-captain of the cheer squad.

Man, this game went the way it did because we got s caouple of really bogus calls. I dont what the "spin doctors" say, thats what happened. You cant tell me that flozell held both of those times. i know hes no saint when it comes to holding, but he gor f*ed 2 times in a rwo. Had that 1st and 10 not been turned into 3rd and 20, you'd be saying how great we played. Sure Cortez missed a FG, but so did Akers, he missed 2, so what. This team is miles better than last year, and even better than the 2003, because we have an offense that can get it done (with the right play calling). Chill out people, this team will rebound against SF, and then will take it to philly and hopefully get those guys too. Its not over til January..............

[dallasblue05]

Dude, that's too optimistic, lets go 2-1 and see where that takes us.

No such thing as TOO optimistic. You think Pittsburg ever thought they'd go 15-1 with a rookie QB? heeeeeelllll naw...........will we, lol, probably not, but you dont know until the gaemes have been played. I still think we could go 12-4. That'll be tough, but we can do it.

[Justis]

No such thing as TOO optimistic. You think Pittsburg ever thought they'd go 15-1 with a rookie QB? heeeeeelllll naw...........will we, lol, probably not, but you dont know until the gaemes have been played. I still think we could go 12-4. That'll be tough, but we can do it. We'll if we can beat the chiefs, and at least split with the Eagles, + win all the other games we're supposed to 12-4 isn't entirely out of the cards.

[dallasblue05]

We'll if we can beat the chiefs, and at least split with the Eagles, + win all the other games we're supposed to 12-4 isn't entirely out of the cards.

exactly, I think 10-6 would be more reasonable, because I think the cheifs and Raiders may be pretty tough, maybe not Oakland, but with Moss you never know!! I think we'll split with the iglets, and take was next time, giants may be tough, but we can beat them, so I say we go 10-6, but that still should be good enough for a wildcard, and I think if we get that, it'll fire this team of youngsters up, and we'll win that wildcard game. Thats a long way down the road, but my point was, that nothing is ever impossible in week 3........

[Justis]

exactly, I think 10-6 would be more reasonable, because I think the cheifs and Raiders may be pretty tough, maybe not Oakland, but with Moss you never know!! I think we'll split with the iglets, and take was next time, giants may be tough, but we can beat them, so I say we go 10-6, but that still should be good enough for a wildcard, and I think if we get that, it'll fire this team of youngsters up, and we'll win that wildcard game. Thats a long way down the road, but my point was, that nothing is ever impossible in week 3........ Stop being so dang encouraging, can't you see i'm still trying to be angry, and depressed still. You and your "forward thinking" and "non-knee jerk reactionism". Can't you see that the Cowboys will lose out and then the earth will be destroyed by a meteor.