15 Years Ago Today. Giants at Cowboys

[Boysdaboys]

still stings.

during this title drought...that team and dak's rookie yr are the only ones that got home-field advantage.
both i thought were good enough to go all the way.

I'm not so sure that 2016 Dallas team beats Atlanta. They were so explosive on offense and torched every team they played in the postseason.

But getting to the title game would have been a great accomplishment with a rookie QB.

 

[DFWJC]

Nothing else matters if Crayton runs that route. He had Webster beat. That hesitation allowed the ball to sail on him.

You can always say one play doesn't lose you the game. Well...one play did.

The Cowboys also had a three point lead I believe when Crayton dropped a pass that would've taken him to the endzone.

Cowboys were the better team overall roster wise. But maybe the Giants were the better team in regards to coaching and being built for the postseason.

Don't care if they get smashed in the SB against NE either. The season could not have been looked at as a failure. No shame in losing to the greatest NFL team of all time. Losing this game completely wiped away any good they accomplished during the year.

The irony in all this is two teams lost that day: Dallas & NE (Indirectly).

I really think NE beats the Giants 4 of 5 times that year.
So many fluky things happened in the SB to help the Giants.
To their credit though, they really did match up well with the Pats. Played the close at the end of the regular season too.

As for Crayton that day, there are no words.

 

[DFWJC]

I'm not so sure that 2016 Dallas team beats Atlanta. They were so explosive on offense and torched every team they played in the postseason.

But getting to the title game would have been a great accomplishment with a rookie QB.

I agree.

However, I do think the 2014 Cowboys could've advanced further.

 

[DallasEast]

Every game is the sum total of what happens between opening kickoff and the final score. The Crayton route is very memorable but the utter, clumsy, mistake-prone collapse of the defense (in particularly Jacques Reeves) during the final 47 seconds before the half should be just as memorable. Crayton's miscue would have been irrelevant if the defense had either: a) kept the Giants out of the endzone or b) held them to a field goal before halftime. Both of those outcomes would have resulted in the team advancing to the NFC Championship game also.

 

[Blackspider214]

This loss was so much on coaching. We started Barber and that isn't what we did in the year. Barber would be the finisher. Also, we turned into a slow, methodical offense. Where were the play actions and shots down the field to open up their defense? Maybe it could have been due to TO still being hobbled as well as Glenn. Neither were their true selves. We hobbled into the playoffs that year. The peak was that Green Bay TNF win. After that, we dropped in quality of play. Weren't the same at all.

Defense really dropped the ball. After giving up that 50yd TD pass on a quick pass to make it 7-0, we hunkered down and scored 14 to go up 14-7. Under a minute left before half and we get the ball to start the 2nd. Defense makes NY get into a 3rd and very long. They pick that up and end up scoring to tie the game. Absolutely brutal drive. All momentum lost. This was our issue. We needed 8-10min to drive to score and both NY's scoring drives in the 1st drive were extremely quickly. We shortened the game to our disadvantage.

We had a very good drive to open the 2nd half but settling for 3 at the end of it was killer. Gave me a sinking feeling.

I don't think we beat NE at the end because the only reason NY did that was their front 7, which ours paled in comparison. NE would have scored a lot more points than they did against NE but on the flip side, we probably score more than NY did.

If you think about it, both of Eli's super bowls came directly because of Dallas. In 2007, had we just stuck to how we beat them both times in the regular season, they don't get that one. In 2011, had Miles Austin not dropped the ball in the lights and we don't blow that 11pt lead, NY is pretty much done then. But we also had a chance at redemption to end the year but we started our first of 3 straight defacto NFC East championship game losses to end the year.

Because of us, Eli is being debated as being a HOF QB. Had we just did our job, he's the loser QB who never did anything.

Also what hurts is even after the 2007 loss, we thought we had a very bright future. Romo was young, had a great offensive core, DWare and some others on defense. And in 2008, we started out very hot and looking to pick up right where we left off. The Romo injury in Arizona absolutely derailed that season and we never recovered. I really think 2008 could have been another special year. The 2009 team the next season who actually broke through and won a playoff game, wasn't that good. Our best WR was Miles Austin and we had Felix Jones as RB. Defense was very bad. OL was pretty weak. We just got hot in the last month and happened to beat a weak Philly team 2 weeks in a row. And absolutely demolished by Minnesota.

 

[Jake]

1994 NFC Championship game and this one rank as the top 2 most difficult losses for me.

I'm probably older than you, because the two most difficult losses for me were the two Super Bowls versus Pittsburgh.

But the two you mentioned sucked as well, especially the Niners. Dallas would've rolled San Diego in the SB.

 

[DallasEast]

But getting to the title game would have been a great accomplishment with a rookie QB.

Getting to the title game would have been historic for any NFL team led by a rookie quarterback.

 

[DallasEast]

Defense really dropped the ball. After giving up that 50yd TD pass on a quick pass to make it 7-0, we hunkered down and scored 14 to go up 14-7. Under a minute left before half and we get the ball to start the 2nd. Defense makes NY get into a 3rd and very long. They pick that up and end up scoring to tie the game. Absolutely brutal drive. All momentum lost. This was our issue. We needed 8-10min to drive to score and both NY's scoring drives in the 1st drive were extremely quickly. We shortened the game to our disadvantage.

Excellent observation.

 

[TwoDeep3]

The second quarter was almost all barber. They did not use Jones at all in that game. Barber was gassed in the second half of that game. And after running the ball for almost the entire second quarter, the Giants came out and scored right before the half.

There were a lot of reasons why Dallas lost. Crayton was one, but not the most significant in my mind.

 

[Boysdaboys]

This loss was so much on coaching. We started Barber and that isn't what we did in the year. Barber would be the finisher. Also, we turned into a slow, methodical offense. Where were the play actions and shots down the field to open up their defense? Maybe it could have been due to TO still being hobbled as well as Glenn. Neither were their true selves. We hobbled into the playoffs that year. The peak was that Green Bay TNF win. After that, we dropped in quality of play. Weren't the same at all.

Defense really dropped the ball. After giving up that 50yd TD pass on a quick pass to make it 7-0, we hunkered down and scored 14 to go up 14-7. Under a minute left before half and we get the ball to start the 2nd. Defense makes NY get into a 3rd and very long. They pick that up and end up scoring to tie the game. Absolutely brutal drive. All momentum lost. This was our issue. We needed 8-10min to drive to score and both NY's scoring drives in the 1st drive were extremely quickly. We shortened the game to our disadvantage.

We had a very good drive to open the 2nd half but settling for 3 at the end of it was killer. Gave me a sinking feeling.

I don't think we beat NE at the end because the only reason NY did that was their front 7, which ours paled in comparison. NE would have scored a lot more points than they did against NE but on the flip side, we probably score more than NY did.

If you think about it, both of Eli's super bowls came directly because of Dallas. In 2007, had we just stuck to how we beat them both times in the regular season, they don't get that one. In 2011, had Miles Austin not dropped the ball in the lights and we don't blow that 11pt lead, NY is pretty much done then. But we also had a chance at redemption to end the year but we started our first of 3 straight defacto NFC East championship game losses to end the year.

Because of us, Eli is being debated as being a HOF QB. Had we just did our job, he's the loser QB who never did anything.

Also what hurts is even after the 2007 loss, we thought we had a very bright future. Romo was young, had a great offensive core, DWare and some others on defense. And in 2008, we started out very hot and looking to pick up right where we left off. The Romo injury in Arizona absolutely derailed that season and we never recovered. I really think 2008 could have been another special year. The 2009 team the next season who actually broke through and won a playoff game, wasn't that good. Our best WR was Miles Austin and we had Felix Jones as RB. Defense was very bad. OL was pretty weak. We just got hot in the last month and happened to beat a weak Philly team 2 weeks in a row. And absolutely demolished by Minnesota.

I agree with this.

That was a great win.

But the home loss to Philly and blowout loss in Washington started to make me worry a bit.

It did seem as though the team wasn't as sharp down the stretch.

 

[DallasEast]

I'm probably older than you, because the two most difficult losses for me were the two Super Bowls versus Pittsburgh.

But the two you mentioned sucked as well, especially the Niners. Dallas would've rolled San Diego in the SB.

I still cringe every time I see the replay of Jackie Smith dropping the ball in the endzone in Super Bowl XIII.

And nauseated.

 

[Blackspider214]

I agree.

However, I do think the 2014 Cowboys could've advanced further.

I think the 2014 was more seasoned. Romo/Murray/Dez vs a rookie Dak/Zeke and Dez. That's for sure. But 2014 we had to go up to Seattle had we won and in 2016, a home game. Dallas might not have been explosive in the big plays that year but they might have been the most efficient, dominating offense or one of them. The OL absolutely controlled the game and set the tone, even better than 2014. Dallas already beat Seattle that year in a classic so they definitely could have did it again.

But yes, that Atlanta team was a machine. They won't get the full recognition because of the epic collapse in the Super Bowl. Dan Quinn's defense let them down. I know Ryan gets the blame but the defense allowed 25 straight points in the last 18min to tie the game and then another TD scoring drive to end the game. 31 straight points. It's the Dak effect. Does enough to get the lead that the defense should bring home but defense falls apart and the QB is blamed because he didn't score more. I see a lot of that Atlanta defense right now in his Cowboys defense. They clam up and disappear when we absolutely need a play or a stop.

 

[Aven8]

Crayton sucks

 

[nightrain]

Alas, the last playoff game in Texas Stadium. Still haven't recovered from that one. Ditto on the Crayton disdain. Also, the last 50 seconds of the 1st half were a most deflating *** sequence.

 

[Praxit]

One of the toughest losses in franchise history.

It may have altered NFL history. The Cowboys would have annihilated GB at Texas Stadium. Favre was just awful there. In turn, they meet the Patriots.

Do the Cowboys beat the Patriots? My gut says no. But never know. Not sure Dallas has the front that the Giants did to stop Brady.

Sure would have been nice to get there though.

..yer right, Dallas wouldnt have defeated Pats in SB. NYG DL was special that year.

 

[Praxit]

Crayton sucks

..lol... I still remember Crayton playing basketball with his buddies, day after loss. Like nothing ever happened.

So glad, they got rid of him couple yrs later.

 

[JonesBoys]

Bottom line on this game is if Crayton runs his route with 17 seconds left, he catches the perfectly throw game-winning pass, the Giants go home and the Cowboys advance.
Plain and simple.

Not only that he dropped a perfectly thrown ball on a slant in the middle of the 4th quarter with no one in front of him. More than likely goes for 7 and Dallas would have been up 24-14 at that point with about 6 minutes left.

 

[JonesBoys]

Nothing else matters if Crayton runs that route. He had Webster beat. That hesitation allowed the ball to sail on him.

You can always say one play doesn't lose you the game. Well...one play did.

The Cowboys also had a three point lead I believe when Crayton dropped a pass that would've taken him to the endzone.

Cowboys were the better team overall roster wise. But maybe the Giants were the better team in regards to coaching and being built for the postseason.

Don't care if they get smashed in the SB against NE either. The season could not have been looked at as a failure. No shame in losing to the greatest NFL team of all time. Losing this game completely wiped away any good they accomplished during the year.

The irony in all this is two teams lost that day: Dallas & NE (Indirectly).

Yes Crayton dropped a perfectly thrown slant by Romo with no one in front of him.
Romo had to be cursed. Between that, the bobbled snap on the FG in Seattle, the Dez no catch that was a catch, he deserved better.

 

[Momanpr100]

People love living in the past, and wonder why they so angry

 

[75boyz]

Still my fave team since the 90's. And of all teams to lose to...

When they went on to beat the 18-0 Patriots I think I needed therapy and then that same Giants team did it 4 yrs later again over the Brady Pats.

Yup, I've still got some issues concerning those Giants, lol