Are we whistling in the graveyard here?

[SultanOfSix]

I think it's paramount that the team gets off to a good start and plays solid defense if the offense struggles a little bit.

I worry about past history where the 'Boys seem to make quarterbacks who look terrible the previous week somehow look great the next week against them.

Candidly, I don't know what to expect because this is an entirely new situation for most of the team - only a few have been to the playoffs like Romo, Witten, etc. - so it is hard to judge how prepared they'll be, what kind of pressure they'll feel, and how they'll react to the situation.

 

[Fritsch_the_cat]

Detroit has repeatedly been a bad matchup for us..

and the defense has been embarrassing at best against Stafford.

I think we have to be very leary of this game..

we can't talk SB until we erase the failures of the past against Detroit..

what say you guys.

Can we really make a 4 game winning streak hold up?

Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine.

Actually, I feel the same way. This game worries me. I remember what Detroit has done in the past. They are like the Cardinals, they always give the Cowboys a tough game.

 

[Fritsch_the_cat]

Is whistling in the graveyard kinda like yodeling in the canyon?

Kinda the same, only without the echo.

 

[TwoDeep3]

One aspect which may be the most significant, is their former play caller is now the play caller at Dallas. He called plays against that defense daily. He will see things even skilled play callers might miss since he has a working knowledge of them, from the inside. JMHO.

 

[Plankton]

Detroit has repeatedly been a bad matchup for us..

and the defense has been embarrassing at best against Stafford.

I think we have to be very leary of this game..

we can't talk SB until we erase the failures of the past against Detroit..

what say you guys.

Can we really make a 4 game winning streak hold up?

Yes. This Detroit team is strong defensively, but weaker offensively. Their offense ranked 22nd in scoring this season, and only had five games where they scored more than 24 points. As a point of reference, the Cowboys scored more than 24 points 11 times.

The Lions do not match up with Dez Bryant at all, and will struggle with Beasley as well. If their front four doesn't dominate the line of scrimmage, they can be worked over. The Cowboy offensive line should match up well with the Lion front. The Lion defensive tackles are not laterally quick, and that is what troubles Ron Leary, so I expect him to show well.

Against playoff teams, the Lions went 1-4. The Cowboys went 2-1. The Lion defense allowed over 400 yards only twice (New England, New Orleans), and over 24 points only 3 times. The Cowboys allowed over 24 points seven times, and over 400 yards 6 times. The Lions are clearly the better defensive team of the two.

The biggest edge for the Cowboys is on special teams. the Lions are on their third placekicker, and have only made 66% of their field goal attempts, while Dan Bailey has made 86% of his.

 

[mahoneybill]

last year was last year. the revenge tour continues.

And we owe Detroit several " servings"

 

[mahoneybill]

One aspect which may be the most significant, is their former play caller is now the play caller at Dallas. He called plays against that defense daily. He will see things even skilled play callers might miss since he has a working knowledge of them, from the inside. JMHO.

Great point. Hope it ends up like the first time S Payton & the Saints played us... Very painful to watch him expose our D....

 

[Eddie]

There's something about Detroit that has given us fits throughout our entire history.

I still have bad memories of Eric Hipple running rough-shod against our D.

 

[Redball Express]

We put up 30+

We had better put 30+ up in the 1st Qt and then hold on for 35-30 if you ask me.

The playoffs is where we may get blindsided like what happened with the Vikings.

We rolled into their stadium and were not ready at all and we got massacred.

Don't want to see that at all.

We'll see.

 

[ShiningStar]

Detroit has repeatedly been a bad matchup for us..

and the defense has been embarrassing at best against Stafford.

I think we have to be very leary of this game..


Dallas has really been bad with Detroit due to the fact Detroit, like most teams would steal our coaches lunch and eat it in front of them. This time around, we have the same garrett, but our coaches are doing things differently. I think also team wise we can step up more in different areas than Detroit can. Detroit does a few positions very well, but Dallas seems to have players all over that seem to step up more often than not.

 

[plymkr]

Detroit has repeatedly been a bad matchup for us..

and the defense has been embarrassing at best against Stafford.

I think we have to be very leary of this game..

we can't talk SB until we erase the failures of the past against Detroit..

what say you guys.

Can we really make a 4 game winning streak hold up?

I agree that this is a bad matchup for us but that doesn't mean that we won't win. The "defense has been embarrassing at best against Stafford". I tend to disagree with you on that one my friend. Take out Defense and put in secondary and take out Stafford and put in Johnson and I agree. But as far as Stafford we've played him pretty good. I watched the game from last year when our secondary was';t playing as good and our defense was awful. Stafford threw 2 picks against us. Calvin Johnson made some catches out of bad throws. We got little pressure on stafford and he still threw the ball poorly. So us against Stafford doesn't scare me at all. Johnson on the other hand scares me, but every team has that one player that will be scary from here on out. Last year with our team not playing as well and not having as much talent had a 10 point lead in the fourth quarter with 3:30 left in the game. this is after Johnson caught 290+ yards.

So last year we had them on the ropes but couldn't close the deal and this is with Johnson having his career day. So I respect your opinion but I believe if we play our game we will win. You make a great point about "the failures of the past Detroit". I agree but I think we've conquered it because the last couple years we were a team that could not finish the game on offense of defense, this was the case with a lot of teams. This year we are closing games out. Last year if we had them on the ropes but couldn't close it out. this year we are a team that slams the door shut on teams.

We'll be good, I feel that you're "non-homer" thoughts about the game are genuine tho, We do have to be intense in this game, we have to be leary of them cuz they are good, so those points are accurate. They remind me of our team a couple years ago. Great talent but the some of the parts do not equal the whole. Meaning their individual talent is not coming out because they do not play as a team. I feel that we are the better "team" and we'll win even though they have more talent on paper.

 

[Red Dragon]

One aspect which may be the most significant, is their former play caller is now the play caller at Dallas. He called plays against that defense daily. He will see things even skilled play callers might miss since he has a working knowledge of them, from the inside. JMHO.

But Detroit knows him, too.

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

Detroit has repeatedly been a bad matchup for us..

and the defense has been embarrassing at best against Stafford.

I think we have to be very leary of this game..

we can't talk SB until we erase the failures of the past against Detroit..

what say you guys.

Can we really make a 4 game winning streak hold up?

Who's talking SB?

 

[Dale]

Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine.

Actually, I feel the same way. This game worries me. I remember what Detroit has done in the past. They are like the Cardinals, they always give the Cowboys a tough game.

In thinking back to those games, I'm reminded of our "finish" theme. Weren't we up 21 or 24 that first loss? And up 10 in the final few minutes last time?

Both times, we did our part to win the game by double figures -- only to hand the games away.

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

yeah i'm not sure why some are thinking we'll put up 40 or more on what was for the majority of the season, the best defense in the NFL. It's going to be a tough, hard fought game. Could come down to whomever has the ball last..

I think Detroit really struggled in the cold at Lambeau and will be able to really get their offense going in an indoor stadium (which is much like their own at home)

...is Seattle's. Seattle is #1 vs the pass, #3 vs the run. Detroit is #13 vs the pass, #1 vs the run.

 

[ShiningStar]

In thinking back to those games, I'm reminded of our "finish" theme. Weren't we up 21 or 24 that first loss? And up 10 in the final few minutes last time?

Both times, we did our part to win the game by double figures -- only to hand the games away.

I like the we part, thats cute, no, it was Garrett. HE should have stopped that prevent crap, told Kiffin to man up and play that last drive as we have had played the game. But no, when you are leaderless, the army tends to split. Last year most people saw where Dallas's cracks were. This time not only are they masked by winning but the other weapons we werent using are now being used. Hopefully if Detroit wants to win, they have to play to the last minute. If not, well the season was for naught and reality rears its ugly head yet again. And this season most people will stand on the record instead of understanding where things go wrong.

 

[Dale]

I like the we part, thats cute, no, it was Garrett. HE should have stopped that prevent crap, told Kiffin to man up and play that last drive as we have had played the game. But no, when you are leaderless, the army tends to split. Last year most people saw where Dallas's cracks were. This time not only are they masked by winning but the other weapons we werent using are now being used. Hopefully if Detroit wants to win, they have to play to the last minute. If not, well the season was for naught and reality rears its ugly head yet again. And this season most people will stand on the record instead of understanding where things go wrong.

I've always thought Garrett the coordinator failed Garrett the head coach. He simply was not a good coordinator in my mind. He would panic with deficits and didn't seem to know how to close games out.

As far as being a leader, I don't think he's ever shown to be a coach players couldn't get behind, and I think he has mostly excelled this season in terms of being the overseer on the field.

 

[ShiningStar]

I've always thought Garrett the coordinator failed Garrett the head coach. He simply was not a good coordinator in my mind. He would panic with deficits and didn't seem to know how to close games out.

As far as being a leader, I don't think he's ever shown to be a coach players couldn't get behind, and I think he has mostly excelled this season in terms of being the overseer on the field.

of course he has, we took yet another job awya from him. Let me break it down so you understand it. You pay me to do 5 jobs. I fail at 4 of them so you hire 4 people to do the jobs i couldnt do. You still pay me plus those 4 guys, and i only have 1 job to do and i finally get it right. Still DOESNT make up for the fact you hired 4 other people to do the job i was supposed to do. I cant help it you still pay me for the job i cant do. Thats not my headache. Its yours.

Thats almost (not precisely because i dont want you hung up on this as a fact) what had happened.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Detroit has repeatedly been a bad matchup for us..

and the defense has been embarrassing at best against Stafford.

I think we have to be very leary of this game..

we can't talk SB until we erase the failures of the past against Detroit..

what say you guys.

Can we really make a 4 game winning streak hold up?

None of the other playoff games exist at this point. The playoff game versus Detroit is the only one. What I mean by that is the team must focus on this game and this game alone without looking ahead. I know that's a cliché, but it is because it's the truth. The bad news is Safford and Johnson have been able to manhandle our secondary in the past. The good news is the Lions have not faced the 2014 version of our team. They haven't had to deal with this great O-line. I was watching parts of our 2013 game against them, and that O-line didn't create anywhere near the running lanes that this one can. We have a chance to win if we make them play our game. If we run on them and control the time of possession, we've got them right where we went them. Our defense will be rested. This D isn't upper echelon, but it's got its good points. It's a D that can create turnovers.

I think we win this game. I don't think we blow them out. I think it will be up and down, but ultimately, we don't pull a "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" like we did last season and in years past. Like I said, the other playoff games don't exist unless we win this one. I think we will.

 

[Dale]

of course he has, we took yet another job awya from him. Let me break it down so you understand it. You pay me to do 5 jobs. I fail at 4 of them so you hire 4 people to do the jobs i couldnt do. You still pay me plus those 4 guys, and i only have 1 job to do and i finally get it right. Still DOESNT make up for the fact you hired 4 other people to do the job i was supposed to do. I cant help it you still pay me for the job i cant do. Thats not my headache. Its yours.

Thats almost (not precisely because i dont want you hung up on this as a fact) what had happened.

In my opinion that goes back to Jerry's flawed view of not wanting a "walk-around coach." He wanted the head coach calling plays and took some not-so-veiled shots at the likes of Parcells and Jimmy for not being play-callers. There are tons of good head coaches in this league who don't call plays, and there are also some that do call plays. Clearly, Garrett is better as the former.