erod
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At the risk of condescension, I detest browsing the forums the day after a loss because the know-nothings crawl out from under their rocks and lather the board with nonsensical gibberish. I get more insight from my wife, frankly, who'd rather be watching "The Voice". Valid points are harder to find than Heisenberg.
So let's talk about what REALLY happened yesterday, not the sophomoric drivel of the misguided. Yes, I had the Cowboys winning yesterday, comfortably in fact, but there's a reason they play these games, and yesterday showed exactly why. I was wrong about the Chargers, as were many.
1. Phillip Rivers was outstanding. That throw to Peter Dinklage early for the first score was incredible, perfectly dropped over the perfect coverage. Indefensible. The throw to Gates for the backbreaker, the multiple throws on key third downs, the decisions the whole day....the guy showed why he was once considered one of the best in the game. That's four good games in a row for him, and I'm impressed. Give the man his due. He was really good.
2. Demarcus Ware wasn't outstanding. I take a beating for pointing out that Ware simply disappears far too often in big moments. Against backups, then backups of backups, he was non-existent, until late in the game when he jumped offsides on a key third down. Only time his number was called. Out of the four starting linemen, Ware was the worst, and the pass rush was nil because of it. I know he got a stinger or whatever. Hey, everybody got a boo-boo yesterday, so excuses don't fly. Typical of Ware, he was awesome against the Rams, but when you really need him in a tight game, you can't find him.
3. Can we stop the nonsense about moving on from Miles Austin? He would have made a huge difference yesterday. This team looks entirely different when he is on the field, and it's critical that he can get healthy and be a part of this thing. Harris and Beasley are so far from being in Austin's league in the slot, it's not even worth the discussion.
4. Dropsies killed this team. Dez has got to stop dropping the ball in key moments late in games. The TDs were incredible, but they go for naught when you drop a critical 3rd-down ball late. The Cowboys are 1-6 in games he catches multiple touchdowns, which is odd, but yesterday provides a glimpse of why. But this was hardly Dez' fault alone as Witten, Harris, and Williams each contributed ugly drops on third downs that turned the ball over. If I'm Romo, I'm lighting into guys on the flight home.
5. Bruce Carter was taken out of the game by the coaches because he was getting torched. This was most concerning to me (other than the lack of a pass rush) because he and Lee were getting abused by tight ends all day. No doubt Peyton Manning will notice and he's licking his chops. Pass rush is part of that, but who's feeling confident about that today. Marinelli and Kiffen gotta get busy in the woodshed this morning.
6. I'm getting really concerned about Mo Claiborne. Jerry's favorite draft pick, whom he gave a #2 to swap picks for, looks entirely lost. I'm talking Jacques Reeves lost. I don't see any of the ball skills we were told about. That Wonderlik score suddenly looms large. Mo shouldn't start no mo.
7. I know he's a rookie, but really Williams? You needed two scores regardless, so why take that chance there? I swear, players today are just stupid; you didn't see numbskull plays like that 30 years ago. Trainers must have to tie these players shoes for them these days, because you see this brain-dead crap from players all over the league all the time.
OK, OK, let's get off the ledge and talk about some good, which there was. This wasn't the complete disaster it's being made out to be. It's hard to win in the NFL, especially on the road, and especially when the other team plays well. The Chargers are 30 seconds from being 4-0, and perhaps we should all bare that in mind. Especially me. I was impressed with them, and I think they make the playoffs this year. Suddenly the AFC West is the best division that conference.
1. Romo was good, the offensive line was pretty good, and overall, the offense still looked very promising. The stupid drops were all that got in Dallas' way because it looked like they could go up and down the field all day. The problem was, the mistakes were magnified because they couldn't get back on the field. The offense spent most of the second half just watching the Chargers march down the field.
2. The defense wasn't lost so much as it was tired. It was hot on the field, and they just got gassed. Yes, they brought much of it on themselves, but the offense put them back on the field with short notice too much, and it got to them. That's football, and that's what ball possession does. This wasn't a huge step backward as much as just a lesson in good football from the Chargers. That is predicated, however, on the return of the pass rush. Marinelli has to re-discover it.
3. In all the ugliness, the Cowboys were inside the five with 4 minutes to go and three time outs and a chance to make it a 30-28 game. This wasn't Denver-Philly or Giants-Chiefs. This was a winnable game until the dumb rookie mistake (which Miles wouldn't have made). Even with all that went horribly wrong, Dallas was right there in the end.
4. Let's take some inventory. The Falcons are 1-3. The Texans look awful and are 2-2. The 49ers, Giants, Packers, Steelers, Commanders, Ravens, Bengals....all off to disappointing starts. Dallas is not alone.
This was not a catastrophe. It was a tough loss, and with Denver looming on the horizon, it certainly dampens the optimism of a week ago. My 11-5 prediction is admittedly more comfortable in the 10-6 or 9-7 range now.
But this team is still in first place, and will be next week no matter what happens. And it be just like this team, and this league for that matter, for the Cowboys to jump up and surprise us against the Broncos. Romo is undefeated against Peyton Manning, for the record. It'll be a white-knuckler come Sunday at the Death Star.
Let's just tip our caps to San Diego, put our big-boy pants on, and march on. A very long way to go, and time to right the ship, especially in this division.
So let's talk about what REALLY happened yesterday, not the sophomoric drivel of the misguided. Yes, I had the Cowboys winning yesterday, comfortably in fact, but there's a reason they play these games, and yesterday showed exactly why. I was wrong about the Chargers, as were many.
1. Phillip Rivers was outstanding. That throw to Peter Dinklage early for the first score was incredible, perfectly dropped over the perfect coverage. Indefensible. The throw to Gates for the backbreaker, the multiple throws on key third downs, the decisions the whole day....the guy showed why he was once considered one of the best in the game. That's four good games in a row for him, and I'm impressed. Give the man his due. He was really good.
2. Demarcus Ware wasn't outstanding. I take a beating for pointing out that Ware simply disappears far too often in big moments. Against backups, then backups of backups, he was non-existent, until late in the game when he jumped offsides on a key third down. Only time his number was called. Out of the four starting linemen, Ware was the worst, and the pass rush was nil because of it. I know he got a stinger or whatever. Hey, everybody got a boo-boo yesterday, so excuses don't fly. Typical of Ware, he was awesome against the Rams, but when you really need him in a tight game, you can't find him.
3. Can we stop the nonsense about moving on from Miles Austin? He would have made a huge difference yesterday. This team looks entirely different when he is on the field, and it's critical that he can get healthy and be a part of this thing. Harris and Beasley are so far from being in Austin's league in the slot, it's not even worth the discussion.
4. Dropsies killed this team. Dez has got to stop dropping the ball in key moments late in games. The TDs were incredible, but they go for naught when you drop a critical 3rd-down ball late. The Cowboys are 1-6 in games he catches multiple touchdowns, which is odd, but yesterday provides a glimpse of why. But this was hardly Dez' fault alone as Witten, Harris, and Williams each contributed ugly drops on third downs that turned the ball over. If I'm Romo, I'm lighting into guys on the flight home.
5. Bruce Carter was taken out of the game by the coaches because he was getting torched. This was most concerning to me (other than the lack of a pass rush) because he and Lee were getting abused by tight ends all day. No doubt Peyton Manning will notice and he's licking his chops. Pass rush is part of that, but who's feeling confident about that today. Marinelli and Kiffen gotta get busy in the woodshed this morning.
6. I'm getting really concerned about Mo Claiborne. Jerry's favorite draft pick, whom he gave a #2 to swap picks for, looks entirely lost. I'm talking Jacques Reeves lost. I don't see any of the ball skills we were told about. That Wonderlik score suddenly looms large. Mo shouldn't start no mo.
7. I know he's a rookie, but really Williams? You needed two scores regardless, so why take that chance there? I swear, players today are just stupid; you didn't see numbskull plays like that 30 years ago. Trainers must have to tie these players shoes for them these days, because you see this brain-dead crap from players all over the league all the time.
OK, OK, let's get off the ledge and talk about some good, which there was. This wasn't the complete disaster it's being made out to be. It's hard to win in the NFL, especially on the road, and especially when the other team plays well. The Chargers are 30 seconds from being 4-0, and perhaps we should all bare that in mind. Especially me. I was impressed with them, and I think they make the playoffs this year. Suddenly the AFC West is the best division that conference.
1. Romo was good, the offensive line was pretty good, and overall, the offense still looked very promising. The stupid drops were all that got in Dallas' way because it looked like they could go up and down the field all day. The problem was, the mistakes were magnified because they couldn't get back on the field. The offense spent most of the second half just watching the Chargers march down the field.
2. The defense wasn't lost so much as it was tired. It was hot on the field, and they just got gassed. Yes, they brought much of it on themselves, but the offense put them back on the field with short notice too much, and it got to them. That's football, and that's what ball possession does. This wasn't a huge step backward as much as just a lesson in good football from the Chargers. That is predicated, however, on the return of the pass rush. Marinelli has to re-discover it.
3. In all the ugliness, the Cowboys were inside the five with 4 minutes to go and three time outs and a chance to make it a 30-28 game. This wasn't Denver-Philly or Giants-Chiefs. This was a winnable game until the dumb rookie mistake (which Miles wouldn't have made). Even with all that went horribly wrong, Dallas was right there in the end.
4. Let's take some inventory. The Falcons are 1-3. The Texans look awful and are 2-2. The 49ers, Giants, Packers, Steelers, Commanders, Ravens, Bengals....all off to disappointing starts. Dallas is not alone.
This was not a catastrophe. It was a tough loss, and with Denver looming on the horizon, it certainly dampens the optimism of a week ago. My 11-5 prediction is admittedly more comfortable in the 10-6 or 9-7 range now.
But this team is still in first place, and will be next week no matter what happens. And it be just like this team, and this league for that matter, for the Cowboys to jump up and surprise us against the Broncos. Romo is undefeated against Peyton Manning, for the record. It'll be a white-knuckler come Sunday at the Death Star.
Let's just tip our caps to San Diego, put our big-boy pants on, and march on. A very long way to go, and time to right the ship, especially in this division.
