A Touch of Hostility...Week 13

[DaBoys4Life]

It isn't any fun to be numb when you haven't "medicated" yourself in any way. But that is where I am. Numb all over and sober as a judge. No Nyquil coursing through my veins and fogging my melon.

Today was a real bad day for me anyway. See my thread in the OT Zone if you really want to be sick. Don't check it out if you prefer not to feel worse than you already do.

I am not superstitious. Not even a little bit. That said, I hate Decembers. I am beginning to actually fear Decembers. Even when things are going well, December throws water on the candles lighting the way.

38:50 to 21:10. That is the time of possession advantage Dallas had.

1 to 2. That is the turnover advantage Dallas had.

424 to 337. That is the yardage advantage Dallas had.

Only 5 penalties for 30 yards.

9 of 17 on 3rd downs.

How did we lose? It's December. I honestly don't know how else to explain it. It is Historically our worst month. We are 90-77-1 all time in December. It is the only month of the 4 major football months where the Cowboys have not won at least 100 games. Wade Phillips is now 3-6 all time here in December. Tony Romo is...wait, sorry...I can't pin this one on Tony. He played out of his mind good.

Again, how did we manage to lose this game? Tossing superstition our of the way, you simply don't win when you average 2.0 yards per carry. For all of those clamoring for us to run the ball more, I'd love to if the OL could open holes. They miss Columbo badly. He is our best Run blocker, especially if we pull Kosier right as a lead.

You don't win when you can't tackle. In the 2nd half I literally wanted to throw up. I was screaming for a holding flag on Jacobs TD reception. I am sure you all were too. I was screaming louder for our guys to make tackles. I understand refs are going to miss some calls or make some ticky tack calls. The poor tackling hurt us infinitely more than refs ever could have even if they had evil intentions. It was horrific.

Special teams coverage units fell apart. That Punt Return TD was a dagger. McBriar sends one to the stratosphere and Hixon makes us pay dearly for arm tackling. Hurd had to know the ball hadn't gone 10 yards yet. Even if he recovered the ball it wouldn't be ours. Mental lapses.

There were good things today. Romo, Witten, Austin, and Williams deserve some praise on Offense. Spencer is making those calling him a bust look bad. Mike Jenkins continues to prove he was a great pick as he makes yet another great pick.

Jason Witten is now the 2nd all time leading receiver in Cowboys History. He now has 502 career receptions. He also jumped from 9th place all time among TEs to 6th place all time among TEs in receptions. He is 3 behind Frank Wycheck for 5th all time. The only 4 who will be above him are 3 Hall of Famers and one who soon will be. Truly an amazing talent.

But even with Romo and Witten and the passing game clicking it wasn't enough. We left points on the field.

I don't know whether it is Folk or the holds. Whatever it is, we can't afford these misses. They aren't chip shots, but he has made these kinds of kicks and now he is yipping them. I hate Kickers. I hate relying on them. The fact remains, sometimes you have to and we need Folk and the FG unit to figure out what is wrong. Fast.

I can't believe I talked about Kickers in one of my post game threads. I feel dirty.

It reminds me of the miami jets games.

 

[Doomsay]

I'm not sure scoring a TD giving yourself a chance for an onside with a minute to go in the game is a "junk time" TD. If we get that onside right there, I really like our chances. I guarantee you the Giants didn't want us to score there.

I'm sure that we were still hoping for a miracle, but the Giants were playing a familiar version of Dallas' vaunted prevent D, so we all of a sudden could move the ball quickly, whereas it had been a struggle during the majority of the game. Given the injuries that they had behind their front line it's amazing that we couldn't have scored more readily pre-garbage time.

 

[Bach]

The Jerry Jones era needs to be over

^^^
THIS

 

[Maikeru-sama]

The Jerry Jones era needs to be over

How exactly is this Jerry Jones' fault?

Again, the guy has fielded a very competitive team. It is up to Wade Phillips and the Coaching Staff to produce wins.

 

[cowboyjoe]

Don't know how. It depresses the hell out of me.

Depressed me Hostile too, and here are my thoughts;

My thoughts on the game!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First, I thought we would win this game, so it’s a big let down.

Yet, every year in December, this team seems to lose it’s focus, mental edge after a bye week, its sharpness with a sense of urgency that really knows how to win big games and playoff games.

I did see some bright spots in the game with the play of roy williams and timing with romo. They are starting to click, so that can only get better.

Next, to me Romo played a pretty good game, no turnovers in interceptions or fumbles. Romo ate the ball when he had to. Sure he missed a few open wrs, but basically didn’t force the ball. Ate sacks when he had too.

Then, Jenkins is continuing to improve by leaps and bounds.

I know that this game is tough to swallow, knowing how most of us hate the giants.

I wished some of the players hated the giants the way we hate them, but I think some of them don’t. I know it’s a game, but like Jimmy Johnson said once, I hate to lose and so should you to the players.

The season isn’t over though, there is still a chance, but after the way the cowboys played today, doesn’t look good.

Tough teams are coming up with san diego, saints, Commanders and then the eagles.

I am kinda glad that the bye week is over with. Maybe this team doesn’t deserve any bye week or time off, because when they do they seem to lose focus some. Granted, I did say that the players needed the bye week to get healthy, and I stand by that. I do know that some players came in and supposedly spent some time in preparation or so they say.

The big issue keeps coming up, when the Cowboys have a chance to close the deal and win throughout, with urgency, heart, I saw the opposite. Offensive line missing people on key blocks, special teams missing people in a critical area or knowing where down and distance is on kickoff special teams play, running backs making mistakes, Folk missing field goals. .

Example, we had a chance to win our division and close out, but each year we don’t, why?

Example of a running back, choice was suppose to run a certain route, instead he decides to turn it up field. He isn’t a rookie anymore, he is suppose to run the route he is suppose to run. Choice is a 2 year vet now, should be no excuses.

I still have hope that we can win possibly 3 games, maybe have to take the wildcard route like the giants did in 2007, and maybe have to go back to new york and beat the giants up there this time with revenge in mind. But the offensive line must be committed to wanting to win and give it to the giants. While the defense must not have any friends on that field and give it to the Giants. They hate us and we should hate them!

I cried myself to sleep, and every time I let my heart loose focus and start believing in the Cowboys, that they finally are going to turn the corner, but I get fooled again into believing this team has urgency, focus, heart and desire to be a championship team. So, I may have been wrong about this team when I thought I told you they have the team to make the playoffs, not go all the way this year you know, but make the playoffs and win big games. I just don’t know what to tell you.

Maybe we are wrong to expect a head coach that has never won a playoff game to really know how to win in December and have the players focused and ready to go for these big games. Like the head coach could have brought in a kicker with folk seeming to loose some of his confidence, so you had a backup plan ready. But every year wade seems to try to hide our shortcomings and not address them till after we loose a game. Why?

Just don’t know what to tell you.

 

[Doomsay]

How exactly is this Jerry Jones' fault?

Again, the guy has fielded a very competitive team. It is up to Wade Phillips and the Coaching Staff to produce wins.

Who hired the patsy HC and then undercut him by forcing a staff on him and then forbade him to speak to the media during the combine. see: Davis, Allen "Al"

 

[DaBoys4Life]

How exactly is this Jerry Jones' fault?

Again, the guy has fielded a very competitive team. It is up to Wade Phillips and the Coaching Staff to produce wins.

Because he has instilled an environment at VR that isn't conductive to win. Everyone continues to say that JJ does what every it takes to win. However, he's not doing the one thing that is needed to win and that's give up full control. His track record as a GM speaks towards this. His continuous hiring of inept puppet coaches and his inability to give up total control is a problem. When a team plays player based on what they get paid and now how they produce that team is in trouble. They're too relaxed out there. WP is a puppet HC. JG is a failure. JJ is the reason why this team isn't winning. Until people start to understand that then don't expect to win.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

Again, every time someone criticizes Jerry Jones for hiring Wade Phillips, I ask the question, who else was out there?

The pickings were very slim that Off season for Head Coaches.

I agree, Jerry Jones probably allows an environment devoid of accountability and discipline but that is probably not why we have tanked in December.

 

[Bach]

How exactly is this Jerry Jones' fault?

Again, the guy has fielded a very competitive team. It is up to Wade Phillips and the Coaching Staff to produce wins.

It really is crazy for people to point any fingers at Jerry. I mean, he's like one of the most hands-off owners in the history of league.

 

[Joe Realist]

We are all feeling sick again. It's that here we go again feeling of the annual swoon.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

It really is crazy for people to point any fingers at Jerry. I mean, he's like one of the most hands-off owners in the history of league.

Nope, Jerry Jones does deserve some blame but he doesn't deserve "all" the blame.

This loss had nothing to do with Jerry Jones and you know it.

Yes, he hired Coach Powderpuff but do you really want him to fire a guy after his 2nd Season?

Again, the pickings were slim that year. Mike Singletary, Norv Turner, Ron Riveria and Wade Phillips were pretty much the canddiates.

 

[Doomsay]

We are all feeling sick again. It's that here we go again feeling of the annual swoon.

December - 1

Cowboys - 0

That is a funny way of looking at it. I actually thought that the emerging team oriented players could overcome the leaderless at the top yesterday, but I really think that you need a respected coach to lead a team through crunch time.

 

[DaBoys4Life]

Again, every time someone criticizes Jerry Jones for hiring Wade Phillips, I ask the question, who else was out there?

The pickings were very slim that Off season for Head Coaches.

I agree, Jerry Jones probably allows an environment devoid of accountability and discipline but that is probably not why we have tanked in December.

The tanking of December has nothing to do with Jerry it's been this way with this time since 96. However the hiring of inept coaches is a problem. Undermining coaches authority is another problem. Something jerry has no problem with doing. After BP left Jerry could of promoted within the organization he however had his image of the people he wanted to go after. There were a couple of coaches available I think singletary had gotten some buzz along with Rivera i believe and maybe someone else but that seems so long ago.

 

[DFWJC]

I said it earlier, I was wrong about Spencer. He has been their best defender since the GB game. Starting to have the look of a dominant player. Jenkins is the playmaker that the secondary has lacked for years.

Beside being offsides twice, Spencer gets a "C+" yesterday, imo. Add in those stupid penaties and it's worse.

 

[cowboyjoe]

Who hired the patsy HC and then undercut him by forcing a staff on him and then forbade him to speak to the media during the combine. see: Davis, Allen "Al"

That is true, but think about this, did jerry jones twist wade's arm to sign the contract to be head coach of the cowboys. All you have to do is look at what has happened in the past to head coaches here since Jimmy Johnson has left.

Wade signed the contract, bottom line!

He knew what he was getting too. It's his job with being paid very handsomely with 3 million a year, so its wade's job to fix things, bottom line.

 

[cowboyjoe]

The tanking of December has nothing to do with Jerry it's been this way with this time since 96. However the hiring of inept coaches is a problem. Undermining coaches authority is another problem. Something jerry has no problem with doing. After BP left Jerry could of promoted within the organization he however had his image of the people he wanted to go after. There were a couple of coaches available I think singletary had gotten some buzz along with Rivera i believe and maybe someone else but that seems so long ago.

yes, singletary was looked at, and norv turner along with wade.

 

[DFWJC]

He knew what he was getting too. It's his job with being paid very handsomely with 3 million a year, so its wade's job to fix things, bottom line.

We agree on that.

But 8-4 and 1st place is not the end of the world. I agree they will have to play better to even spit those final four games.

 

[DaBoys4Life]

We agree on that.

But 8-4 and 1st place is not the end of the world. I agree they will have to play better to even spit those final four games.

They way I look at it is we gotta be the eagles on the last game of the season to get in....yeah....we're not making it.

 

[Hostile]

How exactly is this Jerry Jones' fault?

Again, the guy has fielded a very competitive team. It is up to Wade Phillips and the Coaching Staff to produce wins.

I hope you don't expect good, honest answers. It is the most irrational superstition of all.

 

[Bach]

I hope you don't expect good, honest answers. It is the most irrational superstition of all.

Yeah. The last 13 years have just been a coincidence.