Dink and Dak is dead

[JD_KaPow]

Disagree, Aikman played better in the playoffs. Of course you'll find outliers. Same with Irvin. The dude came to play.

You're free to believe whatever you want. He had great games in the regular season and great games in the playoffs. He had stinkers in the regular season and stinkers in the playoffs. He was the same guy.

 

[G2]

You're free to believe whatever you want. He had great games in the regular season and great games in the playoffs. He had stinkers in the regular season and stinkers in the playoffs. He was the same guy.

It's a fact, he came to play in the postseason. The games are still viewable. Go watch.

 

[JD_KaPow]

It's a fact, he came to play in the postseason. The games are still viewable. Go watch.

I've watched them many many times. Go watch the Panthers playoff game, or the Cardinals playoff game, or the Steelers SB, and tell me that he was better in those games than in the regular season.

Go watch his best regular season games and tell me how much worse he played in those games than in his playoff outings.

If today's Cowboys reenacted the 1994 NFCCG play for play, Dak would be crucified around here. (No, I'm not saying Aikman should take the blame for that loss, I'm saying folks around here are ridiculous.)

 

[noshame]

Again
You might want to take it easy until seasons end

 

[G2]

I've watched them many many times. Go watch the Panthers playoff game, or the Cardinals playoff game, or the Steelers SB, and tell me that he was better in those games than in the regular season.

Go watch his best regular season games and tell me how much worse he played in those games than in his playoff outings.

If today's Cowboys reenacted the 1994 NFCCG play for play, Dak would be crucified around here. (No, I'm not saying Aikman should take the blame for that loss, I'm saying folks around here are ridiculous.)

The way Dak is presented by some fans here is embarrassing at best. I agree, very ridiculous.

 

[Rockport]

You're free to believe whatever you want. He had great games in the regular season and great games in the playoffs. He had stinkers in the regular season and stinkers in the playoffs. He was the same guy.

He also had this:

1993 Starters​

Pos	Player	Age	Yrs	GS	Summary of Player Stats	Drafted (tm/rnd/yr)
	Offensive Starters
QB	Troy Aikman*	27	4	14	271 for 392, 3,100 yards, 15 td, 6 int, & 32 rushes for 125 yards and 0 td
RB	Emmitt Smith*+	24	3	13	283 rushes for 1,486 yards, 9 td, & 57 catches for 414 yards and 1 td
FB	Daryl Johnston*	27	4	16	24 rushes for 74 yards, 3 td, & 50 catches for 372 yards and 1 td
WR	Alvin Harper	25	2	15	36 catches for 777 yards, 5 td
WR	Michael Irvin*	27	5	16	88 catches for 1,330 yards, 7 td, & 2 rushes for 6 yards and 0 td
TE	Jay Novacek*	31	8	16	44 catches for 445 yards, 1 td, & 1 rush for 2 yards and 1 td
LT	Mark Tuinei	33	10	16	1 fumble recovered
LG	Nate Newton*	32	7	16
C	Mark Stepnoski*	26	4	13
RG	Kevin Gogan	29	6	16
RT	Erik Williams*+	25	2	16
	Defensive Starters
LDE	Tony Tolbert	26	4	16	7.5 sacks, 0 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered
LDT	Tony Casillas	30	7	14	2.0 sacks, 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered
RDT	Russell Maryland*	24	2	12	2.5 sacks, 0 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered
RDE	Charles Haley	29	7	11	4.0 sacks, 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered
LLB	Dixon Edwards	25	2	15	1.5 sacks, 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered
MLB	Ken Norton Jr.*	27	5	16	2.0 sacks, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered
RLB	Darrin Smith	23	Rook	13	1.0 sacks, 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered
LCB	Kevin Smith	23	1	16	0.0 sacks, 6 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered
RCB	Larry Brown	24	2	16
SS	Darren Woodson	24	1	15	0.0 sacks, 0 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered
FS	Thomas Everett*	29	6	16	0.0 sacks, 2 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered

 

[SackMaster]

I think the most important stat in that tweet is the 0 Drops.

Dak had some really good throws at the beginning of the year that were dropped, and he would likely have 3-4 more TD passes for the year if those drops did not happen.

So good on the receivers to hang on to the big play balls when they are given the opportunity. I'm sure Dak appreciates it too.

 

[CCBoy]

Me:
The offense seemed to change once the HC McCarthy got flamed and criticized via media for his
dink n dunk conservative style of play ... oddly earlier in the year, Lamb was averaging like 4 catches thus
the star WR was disgruntled and sideline griping ...

- BUT suddenly Lamb went on a record setting 10 digit catch game streak ... that meant coaches (and QB) heed the cries and responded with immense targeting and scheming to both get Lamb open and force the ball to him ...

- Then comes the heavy public media blasting criticism to HC Mike McCarthy for the phased out
non-involvement of speedster Brandin Cooks - to which why trade for his speed,.. if you are not intent on
exploiting that speed ??
MacCarthy's response ? " I'm not into Fantasy Football " ... Yet same week of this media blast about
non- Cooks, we then see a very strong effort to target and scheme the speedy Cooks downfield/vertical push
into 170 yards and a TD ....

- Just imagine had we already strongly involved Cooks to add to Lamb in both the Niners and Eagles game
in the first place ??

It was not reaction to the media or insulting always fans...

It was a natural progression of development in the offense until the offensive line was finally reassembled after fracture for a year and a half.

Now the offense is reassembled and on it's own path, not always related to Jimmy Johnson and the resulting blame of Jerry Jones, Mike McCarthy, or Dak Prescott.

It has some NFL high tide marks now, of all time records for the NFL, here and now. 28, 8, 15 are just numbers when viewing a current team that have solved internal problems as well as achieving a roster that can right here and now, challenge any team in the real world.

The combination of Lamb and Prescott can't any further be ignored by any team in the NFL. That spells progress, direction, coming path additions for both sides of the ball.

 

[CCBoy]

Consistent with insults at least.

Insults...you support Prescott or not...no sorta, coulda, woulda's here?

 

[Mind_Liberator]

I don't even care if he throws picks inevitably, just let it loose!

 

[erod]

The hilarious narrative about Daks air yards is looking pretty stupid

LOL

6-1 against teams that have a losing record currently.

0-2 against winning teams.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

Insults...you support Prescott or not...no sorta, coulda, woulda's here?

I support Dak 100%.

I do not support people that come in here insulting others incessantly, all the time. Every time.
I hope this is very clear to you. Book mark it if you have to.

 

[GINeric]

If only we could play scrub teams every week.

Dak has plenty of wins vs winning teams. Shall I post that record for you or are you concerned it would crush your narrative and make you appear to be stretching the truth??

 

[GINeric]

LOL

6-1 against teams that have a losing record currently.

0-2 against winning teams.

Dak is 23-25 vs winning teams.

What made you conveniently leave this stat out??

I'm asking for a friend....

 

[GINeric]

We all got a taste in the Eagles game when DAKCHOKA made his presence in grand fashion against an Eagles secondary who even the D.C. QB lit up and is ranked 28th in pass defense.
He CHOKED when it mattered in the game.......... oops out of bounds........ oops 1st and goal to go from the 6 to win the game........ oops massive SACK.
Hope I'm wrong but a leopard doesn't change his spots do they now???

Damn kid... You're still angry that Dak owns the head to head battle of your favorite quarterback by a landslide???

Are you still triggered that Dak has ***** slapped your favorite team since he's been in the league??? Thats sad kids.... it really is.

 

[Rockport]

I support Dak 100%.

I do not support people that come in here insulting others incessantly, all the time. Every time.
I hope this is very clear to you. Book mark it if you have to.

You say one thing and do another. Talking out both sides your mouth.

 

[Scotman]

Except Aikman didn't. That's the problem: we remember the great performances and forget the, um, forgettable ones.

His post-season stats basically look like his regular-season stats. There are great games and stinkers in there.

• He started the '94 NFCCG with a pick-six. Yes, we remember the team roaring back later, but they had the ball down 10 points with 5 minutes left and he took a couple killer sacks in that drive (exactly what people blame Dak for in the PHI game).
• He was horrible in the 1996 playoff game against CAR. Yeah, he was missing pieces, but that's exactly the point: the team wasn't good enough and QBs don't have mystical powers to overcome that.
• He was awful again in the '98 playoff game.
• He didn't do much of anything in the SB against the Steelers. The offense really struggled that game, with only one TD drive apart from the short-field TDs after the Brown interceptions (which featured one pass and three runs in total).

Aikman was a great QB. But he didn't "improve as the games became more important." We remember the good games and forget the bad games and build a mythology around these guys that today's guy can never live up to unless the team wins it all.

I disagree with your conclusion. BUT, I don't disagree with the possibility that my opinion of his post-season performances are probably skewed by the ultimate results and the passage of time. Here's how it looks to me. Romo was the victim of a very few plays that kept him from advancing deeper into the playoffs. Just a few plays and his entire career is remembered differently. For me, Aikman's in exactly the same, except those few plays went in his favor. When we needed a play, when it was crucial that he did so, he made one. I'm not the only one that remembers it that way...and maybe for the same reasons.

But I get what you're saying. My hope is that 20 years down the line people are arguing the same things about Dak. I hope he can help get us back into the Superbowl. I hope there's a time in the future when people debate if he was really the reason we got number or not.

 

[pansophy]

People are forgetting that parts of the offense are still getting installed. So I’d like to think the offense will get better as more of it becomes available to use.

 

[JD_KaPow]

I disagree with your conclusion. BUT, I don't disagree with the possibility that my opinion of his post-season performances are probably skewed by the ultimate results and the passage of time. Here's how it looks to me. Romo was the victim of a very few plays that kept him from advancing deeper into the playoffs. Just a few plays and his entire career is remembered differently. For me, Aikman's in exactly the same, except those few plays went in his favor. When we needed a play, when it was crucial that he did so, he made one. I'm not the only one that remembers it that way...and maybe for the same reasons.

But I get what you're saying. My hope is that 20 years down the line people are arguing the same things about Dak. I hope he can help get us back into the Superbowl. I hope there's a time in the future when people debate if he was really the reason we got number or not.

Serious question: when did we "need a play" from Aikman in the postseason? When was it "crucial that he did so?"
Aikman played in 16 postseason games. The Cowboys won 11 of them (I assume we can agree he didn't make the crucial play in the 5 losses).
Of those 11, Dallas won 6 of them by scores of 34-10, 52-17, 38-21, 35-9, 30-11, and 40-15. Can we agree that there were no "crucial" plays in those games? That leaves 5.

• 1992 NFCCG: Aikman played well, no doubt, but the Cowboys took the ball away 4 times and took an 11 point lead early in the 4th quarter. The '9ers did pull within 4 and the Cowboys scored another TD late. Maybe this one qualifies.
• 1993 Divisional Round: Final score was 27-17, but Dallas had leads of 24-3 in the 3rd and 27-10 in the 4th. It was never close.
• SB XXVIII: The Bills had the lead at the half and the ball to start the 3rd. At which point, Washington returned a Thomas fumble for a TD to tie it. On the Cowboys first drive of the second half, they drove for the go-ahead TD...with a drive that consisted of 7 Emmitt Smith runs and one 3-yard pass on second down (was that "crucial?"). The teams traded punts for a while until Washington got an interception and the Cowboys scored on another run-heavy drive to put it away.
• 1995 NFCCG: The Packers took the lead 27-24 late in the 3rd. The Cowboys took it back on a long methodical run-heavy drive that featured one 3rd-down conversion by pass, so there's one play that I would count. Larry Brown intercepted Favre on the next Packers drive, Dallas scored on two plays and that was that.
• SB XXX: Dallas went up 13-0 early and then the offense did nothing the rest of the game. The only Dallas scores after that came on 2-play drives after Larry Brown interceptions put them right up to the end zone.

So I would dispute your claim that the Cowboys' performance in the playoffs with Aikman hinged on "a very few plays that went in [Aikman's] favor." The Cowboys dominated most of those games, and in the ones they didn't, the defense made most of the biggest plays. I can find two spots that sort of fit what you're saying, but that's it. And I would point to the CAR loss and the 1994 NFCCG as games where they needed plays and he didn't make them.

Again: Aikman was great, not arguing that. It just happens that he was not put in the position in the playoffs where he had to heroball for the Cowboys to win.

Romo didn't have the same dominant team around him, so it came down to heroballing a lot more often. And he did! Dez caught that ball! But, better example: the Cowboys were trailing the Lions in the 4th quarter. Tony led the game-winning drive, which featured a 4th-and-6 conversion and the TD pass on 3rd-and-goal from the 8. He made as many "crucial" plays in that drive as I can find in Aikman's postseason career.

I humbly suggest that your memory of events doesn't really reflect reality.

 

[ArmChairGM]

Serious question: when did we "need a play" from Aikman in the postseason? When was it "crucial that he did so?"
Aikman played in 16 postseason games. The Cowboys won 11 of them (I assume we can agree he didn't make the crucial play in the 5 losses).
Of those 11, Dallas won 6 of them by scores of 34-10, 52-17, 38-21, 35-9, 30-11, and 40-15. Can we agree that there were no "crucial" plays in those games? That leaves 5.

• 1992 NFCCG: Aikman played well, no doubt, but the Cowboys took the ball away 4 times and took an 11 point lead early in the 4th quarter. The '9ers did pull within 4 and the Cowboys scored another TD late. Maybe this one qualifies.
• 1993 Divisional Round: Final score was 27-17, but Dallas had leads of 24-3 in the 3rd and 27-10 in the 4th. It was never close.
• SB XXVIII: The Bills had the lead at the half and the ball to start the 3rd. At which point, Washington returned a Thomas fumble for a TD to tie it. On the Cowboys first drive of the second half, they drove for the go-ahead TD...with a drive that consisted of 7 Emmitt Smith runs and one 3-yard pass on second down (was that "crucial?"). The teams traded punts for a while until Washington got an interception and the Cowboys scored on another run-heavy drive to put it away.
• 1995 NFCCG: The Packers took the lead 27-24 late in the 3rd. The Cowboys took it back on a long methodical run-heavy drive that featured one 3rd-down conversion by pass, so there's one play that I would count. Larry Brown intercepted Favre on the next Packers drive, Dallas scored on two plays and that was that.
• SB XXX: Dallas went up 13-0 early and then the offense did nothing the rest of the game. The only Dallas scores after that came on 2-play drives after Larry Brown interceptions put them right up to the end zone.

So I would dispute your claim that the Cowboys' performance in the playoffs with Aikman hinged on "a very few plays that went in [Aikman's] favor." The Cowboys dominated most of those games, and in the ones they didn't, the defense made most of the biggest plays. I can find two spots that sort of fit what you're saying, but that's it. And I would point to the CAR loss and the 1994 NFCCG as games where they needed plays and he didn't make them.

Again: Aikman was great, not arguing that. It just happens that he was not put in the position in the playoffs where he had to heroball for the Cowboys to win.

Romo didn't have the same dominant team around him, so it came down to heroballing a lot more often. And he did! Dez caught that ball! But, better example: the Cowboys were trailing the Lions in the 4th quarter. Tony led the game-winning drive, which featured a 4th-and-6 conversion and the TD pass on 3rd-and-goal from the 8. He made as many "crucial" plays in that drive as I can find in Aikman's postseason career.

I humbly suggest that your memory of events doesn't really reflect reality.

Good post.

I always enjoy the ones where people do research.