DMN Burnett Blog: Talks about the Playoff Loss *Merge*

[WoodysGirl]

Back to Football

1:48 PM Mon, Jun 16, 2008 | Permalink
Kevin Burnett http://www.***BANNED-URL***/blogs/images/email-icon.jpg E-mail http://www.***BANNED-URL***/blogs/images/email-icon.jpg News tips

If I told you a team was 4-9 on 3rd down, had 44 plays of offense and 230 yards of total offense, and only rushed ball for 90 yards. What would you say? What about if I told you the other team had 336 yards of total offense, ran 71 offensive plays and had 154 yards rushing. Not to mention having the ball for 36 minutes and going 10- 16 on 3rd down. What would you say then?

Well those are the stats from our playoff game. The team with the better stats lost. So what happen? It's easy, two 3rd down plays cost us huge. One of which being a 3rd and long in two minute. Case and point teams are too good, you have to play mistake free football in the postseason. Avery Johnson said last year after their 1st round exit "you will get away with things in the regular season that you will not get away with in the playoffs". As a defense our goal was to end the season at 38% on 3rd down well we ended at 39%.

A lot of you have asked what happen toward the end of the season. The only thing I can remember is losing that last game. I believe what happened to us in the regular season happened to us in the playoffs. We began to give up 1 or 2 plays a game which did not hurt us in the regular season. The deep ball in Carolina is a great example. #5's long run on 3rd down is another example. As defense we have to play good toward the end of the season. One of the few things we have not done well is finish teams off mainly toward the end of the season. Simply we began to allow big plays and big plays hurt us. Those big plays get you sent home. It only takes one or two for you to get sent packing. Yeah we can say the offense this and the offense that but games are won on offense, CHAMPIONSHIPS are won on DEFENSE. Stats mean nothing BIG PLAYS are EVERYTHING

WE LOST BC OF 2 BIG PLAYS, that's what happened.




http://www.***BANNED-URL***/images/ice3/icons/blog.gif Comments (12) Leave comment | TrackBack (0) | http://www.***BANNED-URL***/blogs/images/email-icon.jpg E-mail entry

 

[tomson75]

OK, now how about taking it down to about 33% on third down. Do it for me, K Bradie?

 

[SacredStar]

I've always said it, and I'll say it again:

Dallas was the better team on the field that day. The better team doesn't always win.

This is what irks me, that a team we were clearly better than beat us and went on to win the SB.

NY is the first team in a long time that I can say was not the best team to win the SB.

Not even close.

 

[Jersey]

Interesting view. I'm impressed that at least he is being accountable. Hopefully, the entire Defense feels this way and not lay blame or even split blame with the offense, and vise-versa. This is the attitude & intergrity you look for in players.

 

[masomenos]

Big Plays, that's always been the thing that has defined great players and the thing that has defined great teams. You have to have the ability to create big plays and limit big plays by the other team and we just didn't have enough talent in the secondary last year to prevent that.

I think this year will be a different story.

 

[tunahelper]

OK, now how about taking it down to about 33% on third down. Do it for me, K Bradie?

Do it in the playoffs, please!

 

[jobberone]

I've always said it, and I'll say it again:

Dallas was the better team on the field that day. The better team doesn't always win.

This is what irks me, that a team we were clearly better than beat us and went on to win the SB.

NY is the first team in a long time that I can say was not the best team to win the SB.

Not even close.

I understand what you're saying but I think the better team did win. NY was really almost flawless. No mistakes. Got to the QB. Protected their QB. Good on STs. They didn't give up many plays. They scored when they needed to and stopped us when they needed to.

This is why I don't give stats that much credit. There is no stat for stops when needed. Scores when needed. Sacks when critical. Mistakes that kill you.

 

[Disturbed]

I understand what you're saying but I think the better team did win. NY was really almost flawless. No mistakes. Got to the QB. Protected their QB. Good on STs. They didn't give up many plays. They scored when they needed to and stopped us when they needed to.

This is why I don't give stats that much credit. There is no stat for stops when needed. Scores when needed. Sacks when critical. Mistakes that kill you.

Excellent point.

The Cowboys have gone about things in a non emotional and businesslike manner for 10 plus years. Every really good team I can remember has been able to get up emotionally and deliver physically in big games when things are on the line. This team has not looked that way since the mid 90's.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I still think special teams lost us that game. It seemed like Feagles kept pinning us inside our 20, while they started every drive closer to the 40 or even 50.

 

[Disturbed]

I still think special teams lost us that game. It seemed like Feagles kept pinning us inside our 20, while they started every drive closer to the 40 or even 50.

The one thing that is true is that all phases of the game - offense, defense, special teams, and coaching - contributed to our loss in the playoffs. One could even argue that if we could have come through in just one of them we might have won.

Offense - choked and looked like the three stooges in second half
Defense - could not stop the Giants on any big plays; also three stooges in coverage
Special Teams - poor coverage and weak returns
Coaching - team did not appear to make any adjustments at halftime (or they made the wrong ones)

 

[dcfanatic]

http://kevinburnettblog.***BANNED-URL***/archives/2008/06/back-to-football.html

Back to Football

1:48 PM Mon, Jun 16, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Kevin Burnett http://www.***BANNED-URL***/blogs/images/email-icon.jpg E-mail http://www.***BANNED-URL***/blogs/images/email-icon.jpg News tips

If I told you a team was 4-9 on 3rd down, had 44 plays of offense and 230 yards of total offense, and only rushed ball for 90 yards. What would you say? What about if I told you the other team had 336 yards of total offense, ran 71 offensive plays and had 154 yards rushing. Not to mention having the ball for 36 minutes and going 10- 16 on 3rd down. What would you say then?

Well those are the stats from our playoff game. The team with the better stats lost. So what happen? It's easy, two 3rd down plays cost us huge. One of which being a 3rd and long in two minute. Case and point teams are too good, you have to play mistake free football in the postseason. Avery Johnson said last year after their 1st round exit "you will get away with things in the regular season that you will not get away with in the playoffs".

As a defense our goal was to end the season at 38% on 3rd down well we ended at 39%.

A lot of you have asked what happen toward the end of the season. The only thing I can remember is losing that last game. I believe what happened to us in the regular season happened to us in the playoffs. We began to give up 1 or 2 plays a game which did not hurt us in the regular season. The deep ball in Carolina is a great example. #5's long run on 3rd down is another example. As defense we have to play good toward the end of the season.

One of the few things we have not done well is finish teams off mainly toward the end of the season. Simply we began to allow big plays and big plays hurt us. Those big plays get you sent home. It only takes one or two for you to get sent packing. Yeah we can say the offense this and the offense that but games are won on offense, CHAMPIONSHIPS are won on DEFENSE. Stats mean nothing BIG PLAYS are EVERYTHING
WE LOST BC OF 2 BIG PLAYS, that's what happened.
-----------------------------------------

Did he just say 'stats mean nothing'?

OMG. Someone, not going to name names here, but someone is not going to be too happy about this.

Oh boy.

Get ready for a 16,000 word dissertation on how important stats are everyone.

But seriously, I think the entire team played a part in that lost. The offense was average and missed making a few plays that could have changed the outcome. The defense was average and missed making a few plays that could have changed the outcome. The special teams were average and they also missed a few plays that could have changed the outcome.

Now I do give Burnett some credit for acknowledging that the defense had some lapses on key third down plays.

Let's just hope that loss is still something that can motivate this team into rising to a higher level towards the end of the 2008 regular season and right on into the playoffs.

 

[parchy]

I can agree with his "1-2 play" thesis as it pertains to some things, but to say that the playoffs came down to one or two plays that didn't hurt the team in December... well, sorry Kev, but we weren't a great team in December. They hurt us plenty.

Hopefully the roster realizes that just because you're on top of the league doesn't mean you can lay down (for whatever reason) in December. Momentum is absolutely huge.

 

[AdamJT13]

Whatever happened to those video blogs Burnett said he'd post? On June 3, he said they were "on the way" by the start of the next week.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

I still cannot believe we lost that game.

 

[Disturbed]

I still cannot believe we lost that game.

Yeah, they worked hard to get that loss. Everyone had to pitch in a little to achieve it.

 

[WoodysGirl]

Whatever happened to those video blogs Burnett said he'd post? On June 3, he said they were "on the way" by the start of the next week.

He never posted any. He's been posting trivia questions and whatnot.

 

[jobberone]

He never posted any. He's been posting trivia questions and whatnot.

I think it would be a mistake for him to put too much out there. The wolves are always behind the next tree.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I still cannot believe we lost that game.

That bandwagon has been full for quite some time.

 

[Boom]

Did he just say 'stats mean nothing'?

As a defense our goal was to end the season at 38% on 3rd down well we ended at 39%.

And yet one of their 'defensive goals' involved statistics. I'm pretty sure he meant that 'stats don't mean everything'.

 

[TX_Yid]

I can agree with his "1-2 play" thesis as it pertains to some things, but to say that the playoffs came down to one or two plays that didn't hurt the team in December... well, sorry Kev, but we weren't a great team in December. They hurt us plenty.

Hopefully the roster realizes that just because you're on top of the league doesn't mean you can lay down (for whatever reason) in December. Momentum is absolutely huge.

I think he was trying to say that in December we were starting to make the same mistakes but that in a couple of the games we got away with it and came out with a win. The Detroit game for example. So it didn't hurt the team as it pertains to that individual game.. in the long run of course it hurt plenty because it never got corrected.