Even if the Cowboys had won: They might not have any players healthy for Round 1

[WoodysGirl]

By David Moore / Reporter
DavidMooreDMN@gmail.com
11:35 pm on December 31, 2012 | Permalink


The Cowboys have run out of games. This coincides with them running out of players.

The team did not want to see its playoff chances end with a 28-18 loss to Washington in the final game of the regular season. The Cowboys under head coach Jason Garrett don’t make excuses for losing or injuries. But you have to wonder: If the Cowboys had won, who would have taken the field for them in the first round?

Starting receivers Dez Bryant (back) and Miles Austin (ankle) were unable to finish the Redskins game. When the team’s charter landed in Dallas before dawn Monday, Bryant was escorted off the plane in a wheelchair.

Tony Romo played the majority of the evening with a cracked rib. Linebacker DeMarcus Ware was a shadow of his Pro Bowl self, essentially reduced to chasing defenders with one arm.

All of this came in addition to the long list of starters and key backups who had fallen by the wayside throughout the season.

Read more: http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/20...-round-1.html/

[CIWhitefish]

Didn't know about the cracked rib...that puts things in perspective maybe.

[Wolfpack]

Depth is kind of a key thing in the NFL. GMs should plan ahead for people to get injured. Feel free to paste this on Jerry's frig.

Most teams have backups that can play, Dallas has a roster full of pet cats and hope filled projects that can never play when they need too. It is a roster based on the wild hope of a non-football guy. Thus when you loose a guy to injury, most teams bring the next guy up...in Dallas, they panic and sign a street FA vet to play while the crappy pet cats ride the pine.

[Biggems]

maybe Goodell should do something right for a chance and increase the roster sizes to 60 players, allowing all 60 to dress on gameday.

[speedkilz88]

Originally Posted by Biggems

maybe Goodell should do something right for a chance and increase the roster sizes to 60 players, allowing all 60 to dress on gameday.

If they had played under those rules this past year they would never have been able to pickup Ernie Sims, Sterling Moore, Charlie Peprah, or any others because they would still be on their previous clubs roster.

[Future]

Originally Posted by Wolfpack

Depth is kind of a key thing in the NFL. GMs should plan ahead for people to get injured. Feel free to paste this on Jerry's frig.

Most teams have backups that can play, Dallas has a roster full of pet cats and hope filled projects that can never play when they need too. It is a roster based on the wild hope of a non-football guy. Thus when you loose a guy to injury, most teams bring the next guy up...in Dallas, they panic and sign a street FA vet to play while the crappy pet cats ride the pine.

No team in the NFL has the depth to overcome the injuries that Dallas had this season.

How do you replace 5 guys right in the middle of your D (Rat, Brent, Lee, Carter, Church)? You simply don't. Guys like Sims and Schaeffering I guess held their own, but when you lose that many starters, you're in a lot of trouble.

This Dez injury is really concerning. Hopefully its nothing that is going to require surgery...back problems can be dangerous.

[MichaelWinicki]

Originally Posted by Future

No team in the NFL has the depth to overcome the injuries that Dallas had this season.

How do you replace 5 guys right in the middle of your D (Rat, Brent, Lee, Carter, Church)? You simply don't. Guys like Sims and Schaeffering I guess held their own, but when you lose that many starters, you're in a lot of trouble.

This Dez injury is really concerning. Hopefully its nothing that is going to require surgery...back problems can be dangerous.

This.

To suggest any team in the NFL has the depth to over come the list of injuries the Cowboys faced on defense is simply being obtuse.

[RXP]

I work with a 49ers fan here and when I started listing the guys the 49ers would have to live without the way the Cowboys did on defense (I started with Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman), then I added their top 3 receivers, even he admitted their team wouldn't be able to play.

No team could have suceeded with the amount of injuries the Cowboys had at key positions.

[Future]

Originally Posted by RXP

I work with a 49ers fan here and when I started listing the guys the 49ers would have to live without the way the Cowboys did on defense (I started with Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman), then I added their top 3 receivers, even he admitted their team wouldn't be able to play.

No team could have suceeded with the amount of injuries the Cowboys had at key positions.

Heck, do that to the Niners on defense and they probably don't win six games.

You'd be talking about Bowman, Willis, Sopoaga, Jean-Francois, and Donte Whitner.

No way they are overcoming all those losses.

[Risen Star]

While it's true the injuries were excessive and would kill any team's season, we were not good enough when fully healthy. Still weak in the trenches. Still can't run the ball. Opposing QBs still too comfortable. It was still all on our QB to play Superman every week.

[Idgit]

Hate these types of arguments. Don't like even referring to the injuries, and I don't like justifying losing a very, very winnable game.

We lost this game for the same reason we lose a lot of big games against good teams. We turned the ball over and we didn't take it away. It's not too hard to figure it out.

[Risen Star]

Originally Posted by Idgit

Hate these types of arguments. Don't like even referring to the injuries, and I don't like justifying losing a very, very winnable game.

We lost this game for the same reason we lose a lot of big games against good teams. We turned the ball over and we didn't take it away. It's not too hard to figure it out.

The reason why we turned the ball over and the Redskins didn't is because they had an ultra productive running game whereas our QB feels like it's all on his shoulders to make a play.

We lost this game for the same reason we've lost most of them during the Romo era. We lost the line of scrimmage.

[Doomsday101]

Originally Posted by Idgit

Hate these types of arguments. Don't like even referring to the injuries, and I don't like justifying losing a very, very winnable game.

We lost this game for the same reason we lose a lot of big games against good teams. We turned the ball over and we didn't take it away. It's not too hard to figure it out.

I agree. Not much of a consolation to claim it did not matter since we could or would have lost in the 1st rd. Cowboys needed to win and they didn't that is disappointing.

[Future]

Originally Posted by Risen Star

The reason why we turned the ball over and the Redskins didn't is because they had an ultra productive running game whereas our QB feels like it's all on his shoulders to make a play.

We lost this game for the same reason we've lost most of them during the Romo era. We lost the line of scrimmage.

Having Ratliff, Brent, Ware, Coleman, Lee, Carter, and even Church who is a solid tackler on the field wouldn't have helped against Washington?

I don't necessarily disagree that we lose in the trenches, but its impossible to say that the Skins would have had the same success if the Cowboys weren't missing 5 starters in their front 7.

[Doomsday]

Originally Posted by Future

Having Ratliff, Brent, Ware, Coleman, Lee, Carter, and even Church who is a solid tackler on the field wouldn't have helped against Washington?

I don't necessarily disagree that we lose in the trenches, but its impossible to say that the Skins would have had the same success if the Cowboys weren't missing 5 starters in their front 7.

I highly doubt it. Ware and Spencer were clearly trying to over compensate for the guys in the middle not getting it done and the Skins made them pay for it. If Ratliff, Lee and Carter are there, I seriously doubt Ware is going to keep biting down over and over like he did.