jday
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The title seemed extraordinarily appropriate, all things considered; there are the goosebumps of the scared variety (tis the season) and then there are the goosebumps of the something-very-special-is-happening-right-before-our-very-eyes variety. This is more about the latter.
We all knew it was going to happen eventually. We all saw this coming in April when the Cowboys drafted the upstart QB from little ole Mississippi State. And at the same time, none of us saw this coming. Not at all. That is the beauty of this situation for Cowboys fans. Up is down. Down is up. We have fallen down into the Rabbit hole and haven’t the slightest idea how to get back up.
Dak finally looked like a rookie. He made rookie mistakes. He threw a rookie-like interception. And on a crucial third down, he allowed the play clock to expire before snapping the ball for what I believe to be the second time in his short career…just like a rookie. For three quarters of the game against the Eagles, Dak looked pedestrian…and nothing like the Dak that out-dueled Aaron Rogers just two short weeks ago.
Not that Wentz looked all that better. If you are a stat guy, then Wentz looked amazing. This is one of those places where stats can be very misleading because to be honest the only play he made that hinted he may be worth what the Eagles gave up in the draft to go get him was when he didn’t fumble the ball during the blind hit from Orlando Scandrick. Outside of that one play, I feel most people reading this could make 90% of the passes he threw Sunday night; not one pass over 20 yards and average around 5 yards per toss…heck my 7 year old could manage that. But we knew this about the Wentz-led Eagles coming in; they play safe because they have a defense that affords them the ability to play safe. Regardless of what Wentz is able to accomplish on a given drive, their defense will keep them in most games. And it’s hard to argue against considering that the Cowboys had to take the game into overtime to win. But in the end playing to not lose as opposed to playing to win will likely be the big question Doug Pederson must answer throughout the week.
But that’s certainly not what this is about.
No, this is about the moments following the Witten catch that sealed the victory for the Cowboys in overtime. This is about reveling in hindsight on everything that transpired in those fateful 60 minutes; the struggles, the victories, the long 60+ yard run with Zeke being chaperoned down the field by two of his offensive lineman, only to see it called back for holding. This is about the perfection of the fact that Witten won the game granting Garrett the opportunity to reinforce what it takes to stay in this league to 52 other players while handing Witten the game ball. This is about watching a team rally around each other, support each other, love each other like brothers in arms. Goosebumps.
Some veterans who are reading this now may find that offensive; they may say there is nothing like the bond that is forged in the foxhole, which very well could be true. While the stakes are clearly different on the gridiron compared to the bullet-flying battlefield, the unity that has been discovered under the circumstances the Cowboys as a collective have found themselves in is rarely paralleled. Like many things in life, this bond I speak of you don’t necessarily have the appropriate words to describe it before you see it but when you do see it, you know it…and when you embrace that moment with your eyes you find yourself dreading the moment that you must look away. Goosebumps.
Circling back to Dak’s otherwise bad day, I am still amazed at the tale of two quarterbacks within the same player. There was the Dak of the first 3 quarters, who wasn’t seeing the field, who was feeling the pressure, and who threw 3 other passes (in addition to the 1 interception) that very easily could have been intercepted. Then there was the Dak of the fourth quarter and OT who orchestrated a 10 point comeback to tie the game up and then passed at will in the first drive (and last) of OT, completing 5 of 5 for 75 yards and a touchdown. Most rookies take seasons to do what he did in the confines of one game. He dug in on the sidelines to gain an understanding of what Jim Schwartz was throwing at him, regained command of his composure, poise, and the huddle and went to work like he had nothing to lose. No hesitation. No wasted movements. No chance for the Eagles. Goosebumps.
Zeke fell short of his 100 yards on the ground mark, gaining 96 yards on 22 attempts. There was, of course, the 60+ yard carry that was called back but at the end of the day the Cowboys don’t live and die by Zeke’s ability to take it to the house from anywhere on the field. He certainly has that ability in him as we have all seen, but that is not what makes Zeke’s contribution special. No, what truly makes Zeke special above and beyond all of the things he does great is his ability to get that inch when all the Cowboys need is an inch. So, when Dak called his own number to go get that inch on fourth and one in OT – an inch missed is a game most likely lost – and with a herculean effort getting the inch and then some when the Eagles – one of the best, if not the best defenses in the league - knew it was coming…Goosebumps.
Remember when you were kid and you were watching Power Rangers or Captain Planet or X-Men and the nemesis had our hero on the ropes but just when you thought all hope was lost the hero had one last trick/secret weapon/super power up their sleeve that was so devastating and game-changing that it made you wonder why they didn’t use that attack in the first place? For the Cowboys, that is Dez Bryant. Lost in the shadow of the winning catch by Witten is the fact that unlike that final catch, Dez was actually double covered when bringing down the heavily contested pass that was slightly underthrown. Despite all of the attributes of that situation that suggested the ball should have hit the blue & silver turf, Dez made snatching the ball out of the air and away from the opposing gloves look easy…like a man playing among boys. Goosebumps.
Jason Garrett took a walk on the wild side on Sunday. Not to suggest that he hasn’t gambled before, but 3 times within 1 game has to be a first. 1. Fake Punt on fourth down from very close to the shadow of his own goal post. Goosebumps. 2. The backward pass to Beasley for the overthrown bomb. Had it worked, goosebumps. 3. And finally there was the aforementioned fourth and 1 call with Dak sneaking up the middle. And sneaking is a huge overstatement, because it surprised no one, and yet still worked. Goosebumps.
An honorable mention has to go to Chris Jones, the lowly punter. It is one thing for the coach to call a fake punt and quite another to make it an option punt. That means Chris Jones has to diagnose rather or not tucking and running will work. Furthermore, he could have simply ran it out of bounds once he had the first down, but he decided to take as much as the defense would give and ran for another 20 yards to set up a scoring drive for the Cowboys that likely meant the difference between winning and losing. Goosebumps.
But of all the goosebump-worthy events that transpired in that game, perhaps the most noteworthy would be the countless little plays that were made by guy’s like Sean Lee (tackles for loss), Orlando Scandrick (sack in the closing minutes), Morris Claiborne (tackle for loss), and Terrell McClain (tackle for loss and forced fumble). Without the benefit of any of those play’s being made, you could certainly make the argument the Cowboys likely lose that game. There truly was not enough game balls to go around for every deserving player, and truth be told you could make the case that Witten didn’t quite deserve it for his efforts in that game as compared to others. But there is a reason why above all deserving others Witten got the nod for that ball. It was about the message that Garrett wanted 52 other players to carry to the practice field this week – If you want the accolades, the records, the esteem of coaches, fans, and owners alike, the pro bowls, the awards, and the extended contracts to play a game for a living, you have to do as Witten does every second of every day. Goosebumps.
Thoughts?
We all knew it was going to happen eventually. We all saw this coming in April when the Cowboys drafted the upstart QB from little ole Mississippi State. And at the same time, none of us saw this coming. Not at all. That is the beauty of this situation for Cowboys fans. Up is down. Down is up. We have fallen down into the Rabbit hole and haven’t the slightest idea how to get back up.
Dak finally looked like a rookie. He made rookie mistakes. He threw a rookie-like interception. And on a crucial third down, he allowed the play clock to expire before snapping the ball for what I believe to be the second time in his short career…just like a rookie. For three quarters of the game against the Eagles, Dak looked pedestrian…and nothing like the Dak that out-dueled Aaron Rogers just two short weeks ago.
Not that Wentz looked all that better. If you are a stat guy, then Wentz looked amazing. This is one of those places where stats can be very misleading because to be honest the only play he made that hinted he may be worth what the Eagles gave up in the draft to go get him was when he didn’t fumble the ball during the blind hit from Orlando Scandrick. Outside of that one play, I feel most people reading this could make 90% of the passes he threw Sunday night; not one pass over 20 yards and average around 5 yards per toss…heck my 7 year old could manage that. But we knew this about the Wentz-led Eagles coming in; they play safe because they have a defense that affords them the ability to play safe. Regardless of what Wentz is able to accomplish on a given drive, their defense will keep them in most games. And it’s hard to argue against considering that the Cowboys had to take the game into overtime to win. But in the end playing to not lose as opposed to playing to win will likely be the big question Doug Pederson must answer throughout the week.
But that’s certainly not what this is about.
No, this is about the moments following the Witten catch that sealed the victory for the Cowboys in overtime. This is about reveling in hindsight on everything that transpired in those fateful 60 minutes; the struggles, the victories, the long 60+ yard run with Zeke being chaperoned down the field by two of his offensive lineman, only to see it called back for holding. This is about the perfection of the fact that Witten won the game granting Garrett the opportunity to reinforce what it takes to stay in this league to 52 other players while handing Witten the game ball. This is about watching a team rally around each other, support each other, love each other like brothers in arms. Goosebumps.
Some veterans who are reading this now may find that offensive; they may say there is nothing like the bond that is forged in the foxhole, which very well could be true. While the stakes are clearly different on the gridiron compared to the bullet-flying battlefield, the unity that has been discovered under the circumstances the Cowboys as a collective have found themselves in is rarely paralleled. Like many things in life, this bond I speak of you don’t necessarily have the appropriate words to describe it before you see it but when you do see it, you know it…and when you embrace that moment with your eyes you find yourself dreading the moment that you must look away. Goosebumps.
Circling back to Dak’s otherwise bad day, I am still amazed at the tale of two quarterbacks within the same player. There was the Dak of the first 3 quarters, who wasn’t seeing the field, who was feeling the pressure, and who threw 3 other passes (in addition to the 1 interception) that very easily could have been intercepted. Then there was the Dak of the fourth quarter and OT who orchestrated a 10 point comeback to tie the game up and then passed at will in the first drive (and last) of OT, completing 5 of 5 for 75 yards and a touchdown. Most rookies take seasons to do what he did in the confines of one game. He dug in on the sidelines to gain an understanding of what Jim Schwartz was throwing at him, regained command of his composure, poise, and the huddle and went to work like he had nothing to lose. No hesitation. No wasted movements. No chance for the Eagles. Goosebumps.
Zeke fell short of his 100 yards on the ground mark, gaining 96 yards on 22 attempts. There was, of course, the 60+ yard carry that was called back but at the end of the day the Cowboys don’t live and die by Zeke’s ability to take it to the house from anywhere on the field. He certainly has that ability in him as we have all seen, but that is not what makes Zeke’s contribution special. No, what truly makes Zeke special above and beyond all of the things he does great is his ability to get that inch when all the Cowboys need is an inch. So, when Dak called his own number to go get that inch on fourth and one in OT – an inch missed is a game most likely lost – and with a herculean effort getting the inch and then some when the Eagles – one of the best, if not the best defenses in the league - knew it was coming…Goosebumps.
Remember when you were kid and you were watching Power Rangers or Captain Planet or X-Men and the nemesis had our hero on the ropes but just when you thought all hope was lost the hero had one last trick/secret weapon/super power up their sleeve that was so devastating and game-changing that it made you wonder why they didn’t use that attack in the first place? For the Cowboys, that is Dez Bryant. Lost in the shadow of the winning catch by Witten is the fact that unlike that final catch, Dez was actually double covered when bringing down the heavily contested pass that was slightly underthrown. Despite all of the attributes of that situation that suggested the ball should have hit the blue & silver turf, Dez made snatching the ball out of the air and away from the opposing gloves look easy…like a man playing among boys. Goosebumps.
Jason Garrett took a walk on the wild side on Sunday. Not to suggest that he hasn’t gambled before, but 3 times within 1 game has to be a first. 1. Fake Punt on fourth down from very close to the shadow of his own goal post. Goosebumps. 2. The backward pass to Beasley for the overthrown bomb. Had it worked, goosebumps. 3. And finally there was the aforementioned fourth and 1 call with Dak sneaking up the middle. And sneaking is a huge overstatement, because it surprised no one, and yet still worked. Goosebumps.
An honorable mention has to go to Chris Jones, the lowly punter. It is one thing for the coach to call a fake punt and quite another to make it an option punt. That means Chris Jones has to diagnose rather or not tucking and running will work. Furthermore, he could have simply ran it out of bounds once he had the first down, but he decided to take as much as the defense would give and ran for another 20 yards to set up a scoring drive for the Cowboys that likely meant the difference between winning and losing. Goosebumps.
But of all the goosebump-worthy events that transpired in that game, perhaps the most noteworthy would be the countless little plays that were made by guy’s like Sean Lee (tackles for loss), Orlando Scandrick (sack in the closing minutes), Morris Claiborne (tackle for loss), and Terrell McClain (tackle for loss and forced fumble). Without the benefit of any of those play’s being made, you could certainly make the argument the Cowboys likely lose that game. There truly was not enough game balls to go around for every deserving player, and truth be told you could make the case that Witten didn’t quite deserve it for his efforts in that game as compared to others. But there is a reason why above all deserving others Witten got the nod for that ball. It was about the message that Garrett wanted 52 other players to carry to the practice field this week – If you want the accolades, the records, the esteem of coaches, fans, and owners alike, the pro bowls, the awards, and the extended contracts to play a game for a living, you have to do as Witten does every second of every day. Goosebumps.
Thoughts?
