We looked tired

[MojaveJT]

Defense has been carrying the load all year. It was a bad time to have an off day and they couldn’t get off the field for the life of them.

Offense couldn’t sustain drives to give the D rest.

 

[RS12]

We looked tired

Us long time fans after 23 years you mean?

 

[Redball Express]

Youngest team in the playoffs.

Second youngest team in the NFL.

But they’re tired?

Both mentally and physically I thought.

The defense could not stop a drive it seemed.

The offense was trying to run into an 8 man box all game and would not throw until 3rd down.

We got worn down and did exactly what LA wanted.

It seemed obvious to me anyway.

 

[Redball Express]

We looked tired

Us long time fans after 23 years you mean?

Yes.

We are all tired of losing in the playoffs.

 

[Ranching]

My second year as a HC in 2005, we won the schools first district title since 1972 and the first playoff game since 1961. The community was estatic, we had a bye the last week of the season and there was three weeks of celebrating and drinking the Kool aid. When we showed up to practice on Moday of the second round, I could tell we were in trouble. We looked tired and we looked like we were ready to put up the pads.
We played ok, lost a close game, but we also had 5 turnovers, we had only had four the entire season. It's tough to keep a young team focused when everyone is patting them on the back. Hopefully this experience can be built on.

 

[Flamma]

I'm actually amazed the cowboys kept it to within one score going by how badly they got molested by the Rams. Could not stop the run and could not pressure Goff. Goff was horrible the few times he was rushed.

Our offense was as predictable as ever. But I didn't think Dak played poorly. Cooper dropped an important pass and the crap hands to the face call we could not overcome. We just got outplayed all game

 

[HungryLion]

Both mentally and physically I thought.

The defense could not stop a drive it seemed.

The offense was trying to run into an 8 man box all game and would not throw until 3rd down.

We got worn down and did exactly what LA wanted.

It seemed obvious to me anyway.

Being tired is just an excuse though. They are a young team and were getting pushed around from
The opening kickoff.

It wasn’t because they were tired physically.

And if they were mentally tired to start the game, then they are mentally weak and that’s a bad sign.

 

[nightrain]

I think by last night..

after all the games with last minute heroics down the stretch..

we were just played out.

We did not tackle.

We did not block.

Our coaches had no plan B on either side of the ball.

The Rams had 2 weeks to prepare and were rested and fresh.

We stayed in our comfort zone and got spanked.

I am pleased with our year.

But when it comes to playoff football, on the road..

it shows why teams that have home field in big games usually advance.

More is required from our team.

What compounds my frustration with that is the Cowboys have laid an egg in the first game as the #1 seed twice since 2007.

 

[Rayman70]

we did appear tired early on. Think about this, we been stuck in playoff mode and digging outta a hole for many weeks..Its draining. Rams been on top of the mountain all year and came in fresh,rested,healthy.

 

[Cowboys22]

Did they decide not to suit up any DTs last night? I couldn’t tell any we’re ever in the game with the way the Rams RBs were 7-8 yards downfield before they were ever touched on like 90% of their handoffs. I don’t really know what happened but that was totally unexpected. Then add in that the LBers always start 5 yards off the LOS and backpedal at the snap instead of filling gaps and you get what we saw last night. Defense needs a total scheme change with more stunts and blitzes. I just don’t get playing like they did in NO and having that success with an aggressive man to man scheme and coming back and playing 10 yards off all the time in the playoffs. It’s like they treated yesterday as if it wasn’t a must win game. That is about as far as this team with these coaches, schemes, and players will ever be able to go and that will only happen when the rest of the East has a down year.

 

[mahoneybill]

The Rams were just a better team and had a much better game plan. They made Dallas look tired. I will say the Cowboys injury report was much longer than the Rams and those injuries may have been a factor. But what we saw last night we have seen before against the Colts. The Cowboys have weaknesses on both sides of the football. My guess is the Cowboys will assume the OL will be better when Travis Frederick comes back. I agree he is going to help. But the rest of the OL needs to do a better job. The receivers need to learn to block too.

On defense, the Rams made the Cowboys look silly. The Cowboys were not ready for the Rams offense at all. The Cowboys defenders looked confused and slow to react. They had no idea what the Rams were going to run of who was going to get the football. But the biggest problems is they lost the battles at the point of attack. Go back and watch the tape of the last game these two teams played. Its was the same thing in the second half. Every time the Rams got the football, they scored. As good as the Cowboys defense can be, they have weaknesses and the Rams and Colts exploited them.

Great post. Throw in Eberflus, and even Wade know something about Dallas and their tendencies and a recipe for disaster that we saw unfold. Also coming from the division I feel they had something on Richard as the rams would have faced Seahawks on a regular basis.

The final score doesn't show how lopsided this game was .

 

[mahoneybill]

Did they decide not to suit up any DTs last night? I couldn’t tell any we’re ever in the game with the way the Rams RBs were 7-8 yards downfield before they were ever touched on like 90% of their handoffs. I don’t really know what happened but that was totally unexpected. Then add in that the LBers always start 5 yards off the LOS and backpedal at the snap instead of filling gaps and you get what we saw last night. Defense needs a total scheme change with more stunts and blitzes. I just don’t get playing like they did in NO and having that success with an aggressive man to man scheme and coming back and playing 10 yards off all the time in the playoffs. It’s like they treated yesterday as if it wasn’t a must win game. That is about as far as this team with these coaches, schemes, and players will ever be able to go and that will only happen when the rest of the East has a down year.

Nice observation on that backpedal / different scheme.

 

[links18]

Can't win with the bye week in the divisional round, can't win with out it. What we gonna do?

 

[Redball Express]

Being tired is just an excuse though. They are a young team and were getting pushed around from
The opening kickoff.

It wasn’t because they were tired physically.

And if they were mentally tired to start the game, then they are mentally weak and that’s a bad sign.

Whatever it was..

we were nowhere we have been going in.

Zeke did not look himself at all.

The OL and DL were not physical at all.

The LBers were slow to get there.

The DBs spent more time trying to line up and looking confused.

I can go on but it is obvious we were dealing with multiple issues out there.

 

[mahoneybill]

My second year as a HC in 2005, we won the schools first district title since 1972 and the first playoff game since 1961. The community was estatic, we had a bye the last week of the season and there was three weeks of celebrating and drinking the Kool aid. When we showed up to practice on Moday of the second round, I could tell we were in trouble. We looked tired and we looked like we were ready to put up the pads.
We played ok, lost a close game, but we also had 5 turnovers, we had only had four the entire season. It's tough to keep a young team focused when everyone is patting them on the back. Hopefully this experience can be built on.

It's tough to keep a young team focused when everyone is patting them on the back. Hopefully this experience can be built on.

Nice reality check on the exuberance side and mixture of youth and scheme that spells disaster covered by the appearance of a close game just on the score. In the end the Rams were favored by 7 and covered by 8.

 

[JMech]

I think by last night..

after all the games with last minute heroics down the stretch..

we were just played out.

We did not tackle.

We did not block.

Our coaches had no plan B on either side of the ball.

The Rams had 2 weeks to prepare and were rested and fresh.

We stayed in our comfort zone and got spanked.

I am pleased with our year.

But when it comes to playoff football, on the road..

it shows why teams that have home field in big games usually advance.

More is required from our team.

Yes, I saw the same thing. But still we were very close.....real close. Like I said in another post, if Jimmy Johnson had this team, tell me you don't think that they would have found a way to win? They were tired, but they are a younger team. Jimmy would have had them ready to win. Our team was not ready and like you said, there was no plan B on either side of the ball and there never has been.

 

[Creeper]

Yes, I saw the same thing. But still we were very close.....real close. Like I said in another post, if Jimmy Johnson had this team, tell me you don't think that they would have found a way to win? They were tired, but they are a younger team. Jimmy would have had them ready to win. Our team was not ready and like you said, there was no plan B on either side of the ball and there never has been.

Jimmy's used to drill the heck out of his teams to make sure they were the more conditioned team in the 4th quarter. He wanted to win the 4th quarter of every game by wearing down the other team. But there is so much more about Jimmy that is different. Jimmy move players all the time, bringing in new talent at every position. He drafted Walsh when he had Aikman! Players who made mistakes repeatedly were cut. Jimmy never stood pat with his talent. But its different now. Free Agency makes it harder for guys like Jimmy to succeed, which is probably why he didn't after he left.

 

[ak47kaehu]

I think by last night..

after all the games with last minute heroics down the stretch..

we were just played out.

We did not tackle.

We did not block.

Our coaches had no plan B on either side of the ball.

The Rams had 2 weeks to prepare and were rested and fresh.

We stayed in our comfort zone and got spanked.

I am pleased with our year.

But when it comes to playoff football, on the road..

it shows why teams that have home field in big games usually advance.

More is required from our team.

Hope it had nothing to do with the party the night prior at the star........lol

Seriously though, look at the colts, cowboys, and now chargers.....those teams looked/look lethargic and tired......those home teams looked/look well rested and fresh. Maybe the bye really helps afterall.

 

[Cowfan75]

Maybe because we spent the week celebrating?


The excuses for these players and coaches never stop.

We lose when being 13-3 and being rested- we are rusty.

We lose after being basically the hottest team in football- we are tired.

Teams are able to do this and not be tired by the way. See the packers and giants who won superbowls after needing to win to even get in the playoffs.

Those teams actually had somewhat decent coaching....

Yup, the culture of excuses has bled into the fanbase. Anything less than playoffs used to be unacceptable around here, no excuses. But that was another lifetime.

 

[Rogerthat12]

I think by last night..

after all the games with last minute heroics down the stretch..

we were just played out.

We did not tackle.

We did not block.

Our coaches had no plan B on either side of the ball.

The Rams had 2 weeks to prepare and were rested and fresh.

We stayed in our comfort zone and got spanked.

I am pleased with our year.

But when it comes to playoff football, on the road..

it shows why teams that have home field in big games usually advance.

More is required from our team.