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Posted by jellis at 3/2/2010 11:13 AM CST on truebluefanclub.com
One obvious thing going against the Cowboys in the playoff loss to Minnesota was having to play in the Metrodome. A faster start would have helped things.
It was more the first month of the season which cost them homefield advantage than the last, surprisingly enough. To remedy that, it would help if the staunch defense from the end of last season could carry over to the beginning of next.
In the Cowboys' two losses in the first four weeks, to the Giants and Broncos, the defense couldn't be held totally at fault. Turnovers set up New York for the real difference in the Week 2 game, and Denver only scored 17 points at up at Invesco Field. But this was a defense which recorded back to back shutouts at the end of the year. We know how good they can be.
The Cowboys have a couple newly-experienced players on that side of the ball in Anthony Spencer and Mike Jenkins. Those are two guys who had question marks going into the year but played as well as anyone at their positions at different times in 2009.
Wade Phillips hopes the group comes out playing just as well as it was in that four-game winning streak between December and January.
"Our defense was awfully strong at the end of the year," Phillips said. "Now, if we can take that from the first of the year, I think it’s really going to help us next season. There are no guarantees, but you have to take up where you left off. We want to try to do that.
"I didn’t know we were going to have two shut outs in a row and shut down Philadelphia for a third time, but we did. That’s why I have a lot of hope for next year."
One obvious thing going against the Cowboys in the playoff loss to Minnesota was having to play in the Metrodome. A faster start would have helped things.
It was more the first month of the season which cost them homefield advantage than the last, surprisingly enough. To remedy that, it would help if the staunch defense from the end of last season could carry over to the beginning of next.
In the Cowboys' two losses in the first four weeks, to the Giants and Broncos, the defense couldn't be held totally at fault. Turnovers set up New York for the real difference in the Week 2 game, and Denver only scored 17 points at up at Invesco Field. But this was a defense which recorded back to back shutouts at the end of the year. We know how good they can be.
The Cowboys have a couple newly-experienced players on that side of the ball in Anthony Spencer and Mike Jenkins. Those are two guys who had question marks going into the year but played as well as anyone at their positions at different times in 2009.
Wade Phillips hopes the group comes out playing just as well as it was in that four-game winning streak between December and January.
"Our defense was awfully strong at the end of the year," Phillips said. "Now, if we can take that from the first of the year, I think it’s really going to help us next season. There are no guarantees, but you have to take up where you left off. We want to try to do that.
"I didn’t know we were going to have two shut outs in a row and shut down Philadelphia for a third time, but we did. That’s why I have a lot of hope for next year."
