Defending Barry Switzer: The Eagles Fourth Down Call

[Beaker42]

I was at that game, sitting in the 700 level of the Vet. I had some Cowboys gear on, but fortunately it was so cold that I had my ski jacket and hood over top of anything that was readily identifiable. Drunken denizens were stumbling around with their "**** Dallas" shirts on and there was a lot of violent rage in the air. I remember seeing a couple of Dallas fans accosted. Truly a miserable place. The attitude of the fans wasn't really supportive of their home team, but more of an urge to just get mad at SOMETHING. If it was the hated Cowboys, great. If it was their disappointing Eagles team, well that would work too.

The 4th down call didn't bother me that much. I thought it was ballsy, but hey - a lot of times that's needed. We've certainly seen it work for Andy Reid and others in recent years. It was a crazy reprieve after the bizarre do-over but man that second stop really hurt to watch. After the game I was happy to get out of there.

I was also at the 34-0 Dallas rout in 1998. Much more pleasant. I had scored tickets from a college aquaintance which also included some fancy pregame party in a section of the Vet. There was nice food, drinks - the works. Most fans at that party were cool enough, maybe because I was attending with one of their members. During the game it went south in a hurry for the Birds and by the end there were only a handful of Eagles fans still there. I wouldn't say that it made up for the 4th and 1 game, but it did take some of the sour taste away. I think that was the last time I was at the Vet. Good riddance.

Wasn’t so much the decision to go for it as the play call.

 

[mrmojo]

Contrary to popular belief, the O Line in the 90s did not dominate on every single play....with that I dont blame him for the decision but I think the Eagles were ripe for a little play action on the re-do..

 

[Jake]

Only 19 days until the draft.

 

[tyke1doe]

It's always the wrong call when it does turn out right.

 

[visionary]

Anyone defending the moron front runner Barry Switzer is scum in my book, so.... no I don’t agree with you

 

[Beaker42]

Anyone defending the moron front runner Barry Switzer is scum in my book, so.... no I don’t agree with you

Parcells was a bigger moron as coach than Barry was.

 

[buybuydandavis]

I don't think it was the right call. IMO a punt gives you the best chance to win the game. Who's to say we couldn't get a really good punt, making them start from way back?

That said, this call was light years from the worst call in NFL history. If you want the very worst ever (that I know of), check out this video:

Nice that Garrett's screw up against the Cardinals made the list. He was good for blowing a game or two a year. Blew about 4 in 2019. He *so* deserved to get sacked.

 

[buybuydandavis]

It seems like all Youtube does is get me riled about things that happened 30 years ago. I was watching a video declaring Barry Switzer's fourth down call against the Eagles in 1995 the worst fourth down call of all time.

I don't only think that's wrong. I think Barry made the right call, given the totality of the circumstances. And I always have, from the moment it happened to now.

For those too young to remember, the Cowboys were playing the Philadelphia Eagles in Veterans Stadium pretty late in the season in 1995. It was Barry's second year as head coach after the whirlwind dismissal of JImmy Johnson. Barry started behind the eight ball, had failed to make the Super Bowl in his first year, and Cowboys fans and Dallas media had big questions about whether he had what it takes.

With about 2 minutes left, the score was tied at 17, and the Cowboys had a 4th and 2 (or long 1) at their own 28 or 29. Switzer decided to go for it. The play got stuffed. There was a clock mixup and they got a do-over. The Cowboys did it a second time. The play got stuffed again. The Eagles took over on downs, kicked a field goal, and eventually won the game.

Switzer got trashed for the decision - the infamous Bozo The Coach headline comes to mind. It's obvious that you punt the ball in that situation, right? In most circumstances, yes. But in that particular game, not so much. I think the decision to go for it was more than defensible. I think it was the right call.

You would have to watch the fourth quarter of that game to understand why. The Cowboys defense had gotten steamrolled on the last couple of Eagles possessions. They were exhausted. The Eagles had a strong wind at their backs.

If the Cowboys had punted, I'm convinced this would have happened: The punt into the wind would have gone about 25 yards (at best), the Eagles would have taken over near midfield and proceeded to run it down the throat of the defense. They would have run the clock to near zero, burned all of the Cowboys time outs, and scored a field goal, from about the same distance, to win the game. That was by far the most likely scenario if the Cowboys had punted.

The other option was to hand the ball to your Hall of Fame running back, get the first down, give your defense another set of downs to rest, maybe even run out the clock and try to get a change of direction on the coin flip for overtime. And even if it failed, you would probably get the ball back with a chance to come back (which is what happened: The Cowboys ended the game inside Eagles' territory).

I totally agree with Barry's choice on this play. The defense was spent. The offense is where you had your money players. Taking the risk to control the ball in that specific situation was the right decision. This is always held up as exhibit A of Barry Switzer's incompetence. And I've always thought that he got a raw deal with regard to this call. It didn't work, but it was the right decision.

Switzer rode Emmitt like a rented mule that year. Total touches - 439. In Emmitt's career, it was his most touches, most carries, most rushing yards, most yards from scrimmage, and most rushing TDs.
Oh, wait. 80 more touches in the playoffs. And another ring.

The Eagles in that game seemed to be the only ones stopping Emmitt that year.
Here's the oline - Tuinei, Newton, Donaldson, Allen, Williams. Williams is the only one who didn't make the Pro Bowl. Emmitt made All Pro.

Went for it on 4th down 5 *other* times, made 4 of those. Fewer attempts than I would have expected given what the run game was doing.

But ... you have to go back to the game.
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199512100phi.htm
From mid 2nd Quarter, they had been stuffing Emitt.

3rd and 2 around 10:00 of the 2nd quarter, here are Emmitt's runs:
-1, 11, 2, -1, 1, 1, -1, 0, 4, -1, 4, 3, 0 fumble,
then 0 on 4th down - "a long 1 or 2"

Something was going on in that game. They were stuffing Emmitt a *lot*. Just had stuffed him for 0 and a fumble too. And then they stuffed him again on the 4th down, but we got a redo because of a clock mix up.

Just based on the game, I'd say don't go for it.

But it was the last game we lost that season. 5 more wins for a SB. And curb stomping the Eagles in the divisional playoff round. Maybe the adversity and *failure* that day gave them a little more focus to win out. Can't complain about the results for the year.

 

[BigD_95]

It seems like all Youtube does is get me riled about things that happened 30 years ago. I was watching a video declaring Barry Switzer's fourth down call against the Eagles in 1995 the worst fourth down call of all time.

I don't only think that's wrong. I think Barry made the right call, given the totality of the circumstances. And I always have, from the moment it happened to now.

For those too young to remember, the Cowboys were playing the Philadelphia Eagles in Veterans Stadium pretty late in the season in 1995. It was Barry's second year as head coach after the whirlwind dismissal of JImmy Johnson. Barry started behind the eight ball, had failed to make the Super Bowl in his first year, and Cowboys fans and Dallas media had big questions about whether he had what it takes.

With about 2 minutes left, the score was tied at 17, and the Cowboys had a 4th and 2 (or long 1) at their own 28 or 29. Switzer decided to go for it. The play got stuffed. There was a clock mixup and they got a do-over. The Cowboys did it a second time. The play got stuffed again. The Eagles took over on downs, kicked a field goal, and eventually won the game.

Switzer got trashed for the decision - the infamous Bozo The Coach headline comes to mind. It's obvious that you punt the ball in that situation, right? In most circumstances, yes. But in that particular game, not so much. I think the decision to go for it was more than defensible. I think it was the right call.

You would have to watch the fourth quarter of that game to understand why. The Cowboys defense had gotten steamrolled on the last couple of Eagles possessions. They were exhausted. The Eagles had a strong wind at their backs.

If the Cowboys had punted, I'm convinced this would have happened: The punt into the wind would have gone about 25 yards (at best), the Eagles would have taken over near midfield and proceeded to run it down the throat of the defense. They would have run the clock to near zero, burned all of the Cowboys time outs, and scored a field goal, from about the same distance, to win the game. That was by far the most likely scenario if the Cowboys had punted.

The other option was to hand the ball to your Hall of Fame running back, get the first down, give your defense another set of downs to rest, maybe even run out the clock and try to get a change of direction on the coin flip for overtime. And even if it failed, you would probably get the ball back with a chance to come back (which is what happened: The Cowboys ended the game inside Eagles' territory).

I totally agree with Barry's choice on this play. The defense was spent. The offense is where you had your money players. Taking the risk to control the ball in that specific situation was the right decision. This is always held up as exhibit A of Barry Switzer's incompetence. And I've always thought that he got a raw deal with regard to this call. It didn't work, but it was the right decision.

After all the years & games with Garrett this isn’t even in the top 20 of bad calls. This is no more than Monday morning QB.

 

[TheSkaven]

"Going for it" was the right call. But when given a 2nd chance after the the first play didn't work, you sure as heck don't repeat it!

Boom! This!

I remember the game all too well. I felt like it was the right call. This was a great team - they’d go on to win the Super Bowl, with Emmitt Smith in the backfield and a monster offensive line. You ought to be able to get a yard.

The problem was the arrogance of the play call. They were saved by the clock issue, and on that play it was a bread and butter off tackle run.

If I recall, the offensive coordinator was Ernie Zampese (Norv left for Washington). I doubt that Switzer made the actual play call.

But the bottom line is that you don’t call the same exact play after you see it blown up like that. He got a second chance to try something else and he didn’t.

 

[blueblood70]

Don't get you know who riled up by calling our current RB name. LOL!

hes most likely already blocked lol just saying i know this place if tht game were today it would be all on zeke not barry, not the lay caller, and not the blockers..yet ES gets pas for failing twice on very short to gain in an important moment..everything is Zekes fault nowawdays..lmao..

 

[blueblood70]

The difference is that ES had too many great moments as a Cowboy and he played consistently like a champion and MVP.

um difference is ES played on a HOF team with HOF coach and no one ever tried changing the run first volume back identity lie they switched up on zeke..there not big difference between he two, is the teams , so get that straight..Zeke would have flourished just the same on the 90s roster..hes a great RB and ES already has stated he thinks zekes far more athletic..

an entirely different team and ironic last year with backups all over the OL and at QB, zeke was supposed to be great..ive seen the mighty ES yearly YPC averages and he has many years with those stats zeke had last year..you give zeke like ES the 300plus carries with solid OL and starting qb he will get you 1350-1600 yards every year..

that fact ES had half his career at 4YPC area only one over 5 a few over 4.5 nearly all of ES career was with a HOF OL, QB, Coach and great defense ..the run game was featured , they both are volume backs and EE gets far too much of the blame around here..

 

[SultanOfSix]

"It was 4th and a foot!"

 

[basel90]

It seems like all Youtube does is get me riled about things that happened 30 years ago. I was watching a video declaring Barry Switzer's fourth down call against the Eagles in 1995 the worst fourth down call of all time.

I don't only think that's wrong. I think Barry made the right call, given the totality of the circumstances. And I always have, from the moment it happened to now.

For those too young to remember, the Cowboys were playing the Philadelphia Eagles in Veterans Stadium pretty late in the season in 1995. It was Barry's second year as head coach after the whirlwind dismissal of JImmy Johnson. Barry started behind the eight ball, had failed to make the Super Bowl in his first year, and Cowboys fans and Dallas media had big questions about whether he had what it takes.

With about 2 minutes left, the score was tied at 17, and the Cowboys had a 4th and 2 (or long 1) at their own 28 or 29. Switzer decided to go for it. The play got stuffed. There was a clock mixup and they got a do-over. The Cowboys did it a second time. The play got stuffed again. The Eagles took over on downs, kicked a field goal, and eventually won the game.

Switzer got trashed for the decision - the infamous Bozo The Coach headline comes to mind. It's obvious that you punt the ball in that situation, right? In most circumstances, yes. But in that particular game, not so much. I think the decision to go for it was more than defensible. I think it was the right call.

You would have to watch the fourth quarter of that game to understand why. The Cowboys defense had gotten steamrolled on the last couple of Eagles possessions. They were exhausted. The Eagles had a strong wind at their backs.

If the Cowboys had punted, I'm convinced this would have happened: The punt into the wind would have gone about 25 yards (at best), the Eagles would have taken over near midfield and proceeded to run it down the throat of the defense. They would have run the clock to near zero, burned all of the Cowboys time outs, and scored a field goal, from about the same distance, to win the game. That was by far the most likely scenario if the Cowboys had punted.

The other option was to hand the ball to your Hall of Fame running back, get the first down, give your defense another set of downs to rest, maybe even run out the clock and try to get a change of direction on the coin flip for overtime. And even if it failed, you would probably get the ball back with a chance to come back (which is what happened: The Cowboys ended the game inside Eagles' territory).

I totally agree with Barry's choice on this play. The defense was spent. The offense is where you had your money players. Taking the risk to control the ball in that specific situation was the right decision. This is always held up as exhibit A of Barry Switzer's incompetence. And I've always thought that he got a raw deal with regard to this call. It didn't work, but it was the right decision.

Switzer rallied the team to win a super bowl after that game and the ensuing criticism. He told the team “ I willl take the heat but I am not the one who failed to gain one yard “ . I think it was a gutsy call and he knew his defense was spent and needed a rest . 1 yard should have been doable with Smith in the backfield. Switzer had a tough deal in dallas following Jimmy’s dust up with Jerry . Nothing he did was accepted by many pundits . His humbleness and genuine character was not prepared for the vitriol that surrounded the team and the angry fans wanting jimmy back . Not to mention that at that stage Jerry was making sure he makes all the decisions.

 

[Zekeats]

Emmitt on short yardage was usually money so hard to argue running him twice.

Loved when the ran a pitch in that situation. Our lineman were so good at pulling and Emmitt had great patience.

 

[maryquality]

I agree with some of you who said they didn't have an issue with going for it on 4th down. My issue was on the 2nd try, they called the same exact play!! And the egals were ready for it!! Reminds me of Kellen Moore when the boys were first and goal with short shortage, and he calls 3 consecutive running plays for no gain...and then we're forced to kick a FG!! Change up the dang play!!

 

[lkelly]

Not sporting your Cowboys gear is smart but don’t insult our intelligence in saying it “was too cold”. Own it.

The wind chill was -7 degrees that day.

I won’t pretend to know anything about your intelligence.

 

[Flamma]

wrong call no matter what.....you don't go for it on 4th down, in a tied game in a 4th quarter on your own end of the field.

he got lucky and got another chance. the problem was he called the same play again. from same formation. didn't change to another play.....that was the bigger issue.

It was a bad situation no matter what. But I can easily see the logic in going for it. The alternative was to have the punter, standing on his own 14 yard line punting into the wind with 2 minutes left in the game. Is it better to lose that way? I think either way the chances of losing is similar. A little more so with a punt. But yeah, running the exact same play was the biggest blunder.

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

"It was 4th and a foot!"

I was fit to be tied watching us get stuffed those 2 plays.

 

[Motorola]

Switzer rallied the team to win a super bowl after that game and the ensuing criticism. He told the team “ I willl take the heat but I am not the one who failed to gain one yard “ . I think it was a gutsy call and he knew his defense was spent and needed a rest . 1 yard should have been doable with Smith in the backfield. Switzer had a tough deal in dallas following Jimmy’s dust up with Jerry . Nothing he did was accepted by many pundits . His HUMBLENESS and genuine character was not prepared for the vitriol that surrounded the team and the angry fans wanting jimmy back . Not to mention that at that stage Jerry was making sure he makes all the decisions.

Barry Switzer's public persona never evoked "humbleness". He was the anthesis of the stolid, suit & tie wearing coaches that were the staple of college football from its start until the mid-seventies - the ones that perfected coachspeak and other mannerisms in that profession. He broke the mold - being bold and brash, taking on the NCAA while in charge of the Sooner Football domain. That carried over after his hiatus when he took the Cowboys HC duties.