A Chicago Bears Fan's perception of the Cowboys

[WV Cowboy]

When I was in high school, our coach, who is a borderline (or maybe he's in now) Texas High School Hall of Famer, said we were going to run our staple running play, the first play you learned and ran in the spring, over and over again until they proved then could stop it. It was simply a basic power running play not too diferent from what Gus Malzahn runs, and both coaches will call it five or six times in a row if it's working.

It's not about being tricky or smart or cute, it's about being effective.

That's coaching 101, but apparently they don't teach that course at Princeton.

My high school does the exact same thing, ... it works.

We have a state record 21 concecutive post-season appearances ending in the playoffs.
We have another state record of 47 consecutive non-losing seasons.

We just won the Double A State championship last Friday night.

We don't win all of the time, but we win a lot.

Running on teams successfully breaks their will. They realize that they can't stop it. It eats clock and forces them to panic and realize that they need to score quickly because if they don't, they may not see the ball for another 6-8 minutes.

Wouldn't have hurt for our defense to rest and maybe be able to make some adjustments last night.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

My high school does the exact same thing, ... it works.

We have a state record 21 concecutive post-season appearances ending in the playoffs.
We have another state record of 47 consecutive non-losing seasons.

We just won the Double A State championship last Friday night.

We don't win all of the time, but we win a lot.

Running on teams successfully breaks their will. They realize that they can't stop it. It eats clock and forces them to panic and realize that they need to score quickly because if they don't, they may not see the ball for another 6-8 minutes.

Wouldn't have hurt for our defense to rest and maybe be able to make some adjustments last night.

That's another good thing about running the ball. It would have kept our defense and their offense off the field. Of course once you get down by 21 or more points you pretty much have to throw.

 

[Kevinicus]

Not really. We averaged 7.9 YPC just before the half. At 1.27 to go in the 2nd Quarter, the score was 17-14, ball on our own 29 yard line, we passed 4 times straight and were foreced to punt from our own 39 yard line, giving the ball back to the Bears on their own 40 with 0:47 left. They proceeded to take the ball down the field and score a TD putting them 10 points up at half. We didn't need to throw the ball to try and get a FG. We needed to protect our D and go in at the half tied or at worst, 3 points down and still in very good position to start the 3rd quarter.

That's cowardly, playing not to lose football. There is no protecting a D that cannot force a punt, there is only trying to score EVERY time you touch the ball. And, regardless, trying to score there still isn't abandoning the run, it's simply trying to score with limited time. So, maybe 2 series without much in the way of running (when down by 13+) is abandoning the run now? Romo had 20 attempts, this is just nonsense.

 

[cowboyjoe]

It is about two things: Money and Ego.

It is pretty simple, if you want to see change, stop buying Dallas Cowboys gear. Once, the money stops coming into the Jones', maybe change will happen. I stopped buying stuff in 2010.

totally agree, stop buying cowboys stuff, tickets, then jerry will get the point, in last 2 years, the cowboys have dropped 20 % in sales I believe, all we need to do now, is get that 20 % down to about 40 % and jerry and cowboys will get the point

like I saw 1 fan have clairborne's jersey, I would be ashamed now to be wearing his jersey, this is part of the problem, a number one draft pick that was 6th overall in the draft, that we gave a number 2 pick to get, and he has done nothing.

Players need to be held accountable was well as jerry jones & Stephen for these salaries that keep us in hock for years, where we cant afford good players to get that become free agents.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Why would we continue to run the ball down 21 points? You can sprinkle one in here and there, but you cant ground and pound down 21 pts. My problem is why didnt Garrett go for it on 4th and 4 from CHI 42? We had not stopped them all night, and he wanted to give them the back when we could've made it a one possession game. Unreal

We weren't down 21 points until after we failed to pick up that 1st down on 3rd and 4, early in the 3rd quarter but the answer to your question is, because we scored points when we ran the ball. At 14 minutes left in the 4th quarter, down by 28 points, we go back to the run and score 14, while holding Chicago to 3.

It's more then just getting down 21 points. By going three and out and not establishing the run in the later half of the 2nd quarter and the 3rd quarter, we allowed the Bears to get into rhythm. When we were running the ball in the 1st quarter and the start of the 2nd Quarter, we were tied with Chicago 14-14. When we stopped running the ball in the later half of the 2nd Quarter thru the first 4 minutes of the 4th Quarter, we were outscored 25-0. When we picked the running game back up, we outscored Chicago, 14-3 in the last 14:00 minutes of the game.

You run the ball to make their offense sit on the side line and get cold. Make them have to come in and create rather then allow them to get rhythm. The Bears will hurt themselves if you give them enough opportunities. We didn't do that and instead, allowed them to take advantage of us. We lost because of it IMO.

 

[burmafrd]

some people here think that passing is all that matters. This game once again showed that you can beat the other team if you know what you are doing.

Sadly we don't.

 

[WV Cowboy]

That's another good thing about running the ball. It would have kept our defense and their offense off the field. Of course once you get down by 21 or more points you pretty much have to throw.

It depends on how much time is left when you are down 21. If it is still in the 3rd quarter, there is still time to run the ball, .. if you score.

Our problem was not being able to stop the "high powered jugernaut of an offense" known as the NFL's unstoppable Chicago Bears.

You know what, .. the Bears were 6-6. If we wanted to show that the "process" is working, that is a game that you have to go in and win.

They were playing their 2nd string QB, and after the butt-whooping they put on us last year we should of had revenge on our mind as well.

Last night was so disappointing.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

That's cowardly, playing not to lose football. There is no protecting a D that cannot force a punt, there is only trying to score EVERY time you touch the ball. And, regardless, trying to score there still isn't abandoning the run, it's simply trying to score with limited time. So, maybe 2 series without much in the way of running (when down by 13+) is abandoning the run now? Romo had 20 attempts, this is just nonsense.

Well, you tell me. We scored all of our points off the run game. We ran for 200 yards and only threw for 130. We averaged 7.1 yards every time we ran the ball. We averaged 5.1 every time we threw it. When we ran the ball, our drives averaged between 8 and 12 plays, taking time off the clock and producing points. When we threw the ball, our drives averaged between 3 and 5 plays, they didn't run much time off the clock and they didn't produce scores.

Call it cowardly if you want. I call it smart.

 

[DFWJC]

To put last night's game in context, to win the game, the Dallas offense would have had to score every single time they had the ball.
Or since the Bears settled for a FG twice, maybe Dallas could have gotten away with punting once.
Think about the absurdity of that.

 

[dware94]

We weren't down 21 points until after we failed to pick up that 1st down on 3rd and 4, early in the 3rd quarter but the answer to your question is, because we scored points when we ran the ball. At 14 minutes left in the 4th quarter, down by 28 points, we go back to the run and score 14, while holding Chicago to 3. .

Thats my point, we were still trying to run the ball on our first possession in the 3rd quarter. We ran the ball twice like you wanted, and failed to get a 1st down. It resulted in a punt, and a 90 yd TD drive that put them up 21 pts. I agree that we were able to run on them all day, but using the 4th qtr as an example of running the ball and scoring points is useless. The bears had a 28 pt lead and key players on the bench. They will let you run the ball all day long in that situation because they are preventing the 60 yd TD pass.

 

[WV Cowboy]

Well, you tell me. We scored all of our points off the run game. We ran for 200 yards and only threw for 130. We averaged 7.1 yards every time we ran the ball. We averaged 5.1 every time we threw it. When we ran the ball, our drives averaged between 8 and 12 plays, taking time off the clock and producing points. When we threw the ball, our drives averaged between 3 and 5 plays, they didn't run much time off the clock and they didn't produce scores.

Call it cowardly if you want. I call it smart.

Most people are not patient enough to allow the run game to work.

They want to sling it all around the playground, hoping to score quickly.

 

[Mr Cowboy]

we needed to keep running the ball, and maybe a few screens or short, safe passes, if for nothing else to keep our defense off the field. So if we run at the end of the half and run out of time without scoring, its not as bad as stopping the clock with incomplete passes and allowing the Bears to march down the field and take a 13 point lead.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Thats my point, we were still trying to run the ball on our first possession in the 3rd quarter. We ran the ball twice like you wanted, and failed to get a 1st down. It resulted in a punt, and a 90 yd TD drive that put them up 21 pts. I agree that we were able to run on them all day, but using the 4th qtr as an example of running the ball and scoring points is useless. The bears had a 28 pt lead and key players on the bench. They will let you run the ball all day long in that situation because they are preventing the 60 yd TD pass.

We didn't fail. We ran the ball twice for a gain of 6 yards. We averaged over 7 per carry. You want to pick up that 1st down, run the ball. We elected to throw it and we failed but the real issue here is that you are picking the only two running plays in the entire 3rd quarter. We needed to stick with the running game long before that. They never stopped the running game and in fact, the Bears have failed to stop the run the entire season. We should have pounded them and simply waited till they committed their safeties up in the box. Then throw the ball.

 

[kramskoi]

Was interesting. Half of my Family is from Illinois and the rest are from Texas, Colorado and New Mexico so I have a significant part that are Bears Fans. I watched the game, last night, with one of my family members that is a Bears Fan. Before the game, he said that the only hope the Bears have is that the Cowboys forget about the run and fall in love with the pass like the often do.

About half way into the 2nd quarter, he commented that they aren't running the ball anymore. Was interesting because from about the point he mentioned that, all the way through the 3rd quarter, we didn't run the ball. In the 4th quarter, we went back to it and proceeded to run the ball 6 straight times for 60 yards, down to the Bears 9 yard line. Romo then threw a TD to Beasley for 6.

At that point, my Family member commented, they found the run again but I think it's too late.

After that, the Bears kicked a FG, Orton came in and put together another run heavy drive that produced a TD. We outscored the Bears 14 to 10 in the 4th Quarter but it was indeed too late.

There is no question that the Defense did not do what it needed to to win this game. Nobody is going to dispute that but we all know that our Defense is not going to win games for us. To be frank, they looked out manned before Lee went out. They looked incompetent after he went out. We all know what our Defense is but if you know that, why in the world wouldn't you use the running game to shorten the game, save the Defense and limite the other teams offenseive opportunities? Perhaps because we needed to catch up and score points? Perhaps but at the point we started to go away from the run, the score was 7-7 with about 2 minutes left in the 1st quarter. We started going away from the run there, we killed a drive with sack by Rat of all people, we punted the ball. The Bears scored, to make it 14-7 Bears, we got the ball back and we went right back to the run. That drive produced 5 rushes for 33 yards and got us to the Bears 10 yard line. Romo would then throw a TD pass to Witten for 7 and the game was tied 14-14. with 5:15 left in the second quarter. At this point in the game, we were averaging almost 8 yards a run. We finished the game averaging 7.1 YPC. Our AYPA was 5.2. We went from 14-14 tie to 42-14 Bears lead before we finally went back to the run.

I saw the same thing and I have believed that this team has a fatal flaw, in this regard for a long time now. However, it was interesting to hear this from somebody who I would not even call an impartial fan. A fan of another team that basically said, you guys are stupid. You could have run all day on us.

We failed on D. We could have made some picks and we didn't and that certainly would have helped but we know our D is all but useless to us. We are undermaned and we have been from the start of the season. All the more reason we need to protect them with the running game whenever we can. We could have beaten the Bears folks. I know the score doesn't look that way but we could have. The Bears could not stop our running game and all we had to do was continue to stick with it IMO.

We would go back to a focused running attack till the 4th quarter and everybody saw the results of that.

I just don't get this team. I just don't understand how they see football.

I'm sorry but you don't beat the Bears last night with that defense. I don't know what game you watched my friend but when you can't force a punt or fail to get off the field on third down, you have NO chance. Johnny Unitas could not have saved their butts last night.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I'm sorry but you don't beat the Bears last night with that defense. I don't know what game you watched my friend but when you can't force a punt or fail to get off the field on third down, you have NO chance. Johnny Unitas could not have saved their butts last night.

Perhaps, but that game also proved that you don't beat Chicago by throwing it either. I watched that game and it's pretty clear to me that the only way to beat the Bears is to run the ball, especially in those conditions. You don't have to believe me. The whole point of this thread was that even a Bears Fan could see that we needed to run the ball. The fact that we went away from it was stupid.

 

[Kevinicus]

We didn't fail. We ran the ball twice for a gain of 6 yards. We averaged over 7 per carry. You want to pick up that 1st down, run the ball. We elected to throw it and we failed but the real issue here is that you are picking the only two running plays in the entire 3rd quarter. We needed to stick with the running game long before that. They never stopped the running game and in fact, the Bears have failed to stop the run the entire season. We should have pounded them and simply waited till they committed their safeties up in the box. Then throw the ball.

What are you talking about? We needed to stick with the running game long before that? WHEN THE HELL WAS THAT?? They ran on the drive to tie it at 14 points, and then there was the drive just before the half with less than 2 minutes to go. Then there was the drive in question where they ran it on first and 2nd down...That is sticking to the run! The next time they got the ball they were down 21 with 17 minutes to go in the game. At that point, you almost have to abandon the run, and the next drive was all passes...and that was the ONLY drive that was all passes. The next time they had the ball they ran it. It is absolutely absurd revisionist BS to say they abandoned the run because of one series when they were down by 21 with 17 minutes to go. Absolutely ridiculous.

 

[17yearsandcounting]

Perhaps, but that game also proved that you don't beat Chicago by throwing it either. I watched that game and it's pretty clear to me that the only way to beat the Bears is to run the ball, especially in those conditions. You don't have to believe me. The whole point of this thread was that even a Bears Fan could see that we needed to run the ball. The fact that we went away from it was stupid.

What I got from the people around me in the stadium before the game is that they were terrified of the ball going at Chris Conte. I dont think we went after him the entire game.

 

[btcutter]

Your family is smarter than our coaches, apparently.

When I was in high school, our coach, who is a borderline (or maybe he's in now) Texas High School Hall of Famer, said we were going to run our staple running play, the first play you learned and ran in the spring, over and over again until they proved then could stop it. It was simply a basic power running play not too diferent from what Gus Malzahn runs, and both coaches will call it five or six times in a row if it's working.

It's not about being tricky or smart or cute, it's about being effective.

That's coaching 101, but apparently they don't teach that course at Princeton.

Yes, our coaches are bad. They abandoned what is working and outsmart themselves.

The other MAJOR issue continues to be TIME MANAGEMENT!

Garrett's just cannot manage time 2 minutes before the half time. Watch JJ coach during the 90's. 1st thing a coach MUST guard against is allowing the OTHER team too much time on the clock. JJ will run a play or two to burn some clock and if he gets good yardage THEN he goes into full 2 minute scoring offense. But he ALWAYS made sure the other team does not have any more time left to score. Garrett just doesn't get it.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

What are you talking about? We needed to stick with the running game long before that? WHEN THE HELL WAS THAT?? They ran on the drive to tie it at 14 points, and then there was the drive just before the half with less than 2 minutes to go. Then there was the drive in question where they ran it on first and 2nd down...That is sticking to the run! The next time they got the ball they were down 21 with 17 minutes to go in the game. At that point, you almost have to abandon the run, and the next drive was all passes...and that was the ONLY drive that was all passes. The next time they had the ball they ran it. It is absolutely absurd revisionist BS to say they abandoned the run because of one series when they were down by 21 with 17 minutes to go. Absolutely ridiculous.

Well, your name fits you.

 

[Pottsville Maroons]

I told my son in the last minute of the first half that if Garrett didnt run the ball on that last drive we would trail by 10 going into the half. The draw play to Murray would have worked and/or would have run more clock than the incomplete passes that Romo was throwing and would have forced Chicago to use some of their time outs if they wanted to get the ball back and try and score.

How can a fan watching on TV see what was happening but our coaches are oblivious to that obvious time management strategy?

Like many others on here, the minute Witten dropped that pass, I knew we would give up another TD before halftime. Sure enough......