Here we are with the SOS

[JohnnyTheFox]

Same old story........
All hopes are pinned on the last game of the season which honestly couldn't have come at a worse time.
If.....
We had only had some better game management and say won the Det and GB games as we should have we at this point could sit Romo an extra week as well as get Lee back for that first PO game.

Sometimes I wonder if this organization is even smart enough to wonder this. Strange how things like this come back and bite you in the rear end. So much for organization and planning ahead.

 

[Idgit]

For what it's worth, teams like DET and GB and CHI have close losses, too. If we get mulligans for ours, it's only fair to give them mulligans for theirs, and then we're back in the same position.

Nothing's going to change on the close losses until we field a defense capable of not collapsing. Holding penalties on running downs and running when you should be throwing are small potatoes compared to the points and yardage given up when you can't stop the other team short of taking the ball away from them.

 

[Beast_from_East]

For what it's worth, teams like DET and GB and CHI have close losses, too. If we get mulligans for ours, it's only fair to give them mulligans for theirs, and then we're back in the same position.

Nothing's going to change on the close losses until we field a defense capable of not collapsing. Holding penalties on running downs and running when you should be throwing are small potatoes compared to the points and yardage given up when you can't stop the other team short of taking the ball away from them.

440-1

All that needs to be said.

 

[Idgit]

440-1

All that needs to be said.

Those numbers ring a bell, but what do they actually refer to?

 

[Beast_from_East]

Those numbers ring a bell, but what do they actually refer to?

First off...............hope you had a Merry Christmas with your family and kids.

The 440-1 is the record of teams with a 23 point half time lead and scored 36 points overall.........we are the only team in NFL history to lose under those conditions...........thats when Aikman said the game management was "inexcusable" and basically said we lost because of Garrett.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

For what it's worth, teams like DET and GB and CHI have close losses, too. If we get mulligans for ours, it's only fair to give them mulligans for theirs, and then we're back in the same position.

Nothing's going to change on the close losses until we field a defense capable of not collapsing. Holding penalties on running downs and running when you should be throwing are small potatoes compared to the points and yardage given up when you can't stop the other team short of taking the ball away from them.

Yea I always listen to other fans and its amazing how many of them can say the same "Well if we would've won this game or that game we would be in the playoffs right now". Nearly every team in the league can say that. Cowboys are where they are at for a reason. They are a 8-8 or 9-7 team. They've been that the past few years and with all the injuries this year? I don't see how we would've improved on that record when this is essentially a 8 or 9 win team.

Who's to say if we would've beat the Lions that we wouldn't have lost to the Vikings or even the Deadskins?

 

[Idgit]

First off...............hope you had a Merry Christmas with your family and kids.

The 440-1 is the record of teams with a 23 point half time lead and scored 36 points overall.........we are the only team in NFL history to lose under those conditions...........thats when Aikman said the game management was "inexcusable" and basically said we lost because of Garrett.

Thanks, Beast. Had a great Christmas. Hope yours was great, too.

Ah. That's right. That's a horrible stat. I guess at some point you either have to decide whether it's more likely that the one-in-five-hundred type outcome there is more likely related to a coach that's really that much worse than anybody who coached in any of those 440 games, or is it more likely on the defense that's giving up a franchise record in terms of yardage this season and who had just lost it's 3rd MLB and second string WLB after playing really well during the first half of that football game. An outlier like that, I'll put on the defense we all know and can demonstrate has been a trainwreck this season.

I do think Garrett/Callahan/Romo all blew it with not running the ball at the end of that game, though. I just don't believe that's the predominant reason we got beat. The two picks, and being unable to stop them at all are sufficient explanation.

 

[Idgit]

Yea I always listen to other fans and its amazing how many of them can say the same "Well if we would've won this game or that game we would be in the playoffs right now". Nearly every team in the league can say that. Cowboys are where they are at for a reason. They are a 8-8 or 9-7 team. They've been that the past few years and with all the injuries this year? I don't see how we would've improved on that record when this is essentially a 8 or 9 win team.

Who's to say if we would've beat the Lions that we wouldn't have lost to the Vikings or even the Deadskins?

It's tempting to do, when you see stupid losses like Detroit and GB. I do get that. But it's the reality of the league right now that teams will drop a game or two like that. It just seems like it's mostly Dallas because 1, we follow them so closely and 2, we do give up the game ending drives or end up in positions where we're forcing the ball downfield in order to respond to a game winning drive from the other team. You only have to look at how important stopping the pass is and how bad at it we really are to get the hang of what's happening. We're normally near the top 10 in passing game effectiveness, and we're in the bottom ten in passing defense effectiveness. That gets us at 8-8 and playing for the division.

 

[Fredd]

It's tempting to do, when you see stupid losses like Detroit and GB. I do get that. But it's the reality of the league right now that teams will drop a game or two like that. It just seems like it's mostly Dallas because 1, we follow them so closely and 2, we do give up the game ending drives or end up in positions where we're forcing the ball downfield in order to respond to a game winning drive from the other team. You only have to look at how important stopping the pass is and how bad at it we really are to get the hang of what's happening. We're normally near the top 10 in passing game effectiveness, and we're in the bottom ten in passing defense effectiveness. That gets us at 8-8 and playing for the division.

3 years in a row

 

[Reality]

Thanks, Beast. Had a great Christmas. Hope yours was great, too.

Ah. That's right. That's a horrible stat. I guess at some point you either have to decide whether it's more likely that the one-in-five-hundred type outcome there is more likely related to a coach that's really that much worse than anybody who coached in any of those 440 games, or is it more likely on the defense that's giving up a franchise record in terms of yardage this season and who had just lost it's 3rd MLB and second string WLB after playing really well during the first half of that football game. An outlier like that, I'll put on the defense we all know and can demonstrate has been a trainwreck this season.

I do think Garrett/Callahan/Romo all blew it with not running the ball at the end of that game, though. I just don't believe that's the predominant reason we got beat. The two picks, and being unable to stop them at all are sufficient explanation.

The Broncos had a 24-0 lead at the half and lost this year, but they only managed to score 7 points in the second half so they didn't reach the magical 36 number.

 

[Roadtrip635]

It's tempting to do, when you see stupid losses like Detroit and GB. I do get that. But it's the reality of the league right now that teams will drop a game or two like that. It just seems like it's mostly Dallas because 1, we follow them so closely and 2, we do give up the game ending drives or end up in positions where we're forcing the ball downfield in order to respond to a game winning drive from the other team. You only have to look at how important stopping the pass is and how bad at it we really are to get the hang of what's happening. We're normally near the top 10 in passing game effectiveness, and we're in the bottom ten in passing defense effectiveness. That gets us at 8-8 and playing for the division.

I realize every team has at least one of those "heartbreaking" losses, but the Cowboys did tie another NFL record with 3 one point losses in one season. So at least for this season, it not just that it seems to be mostly Dallas, it really is mostly Dallas with these type losses. While I agree that our defense is largely to blame, our offense for whatever reason, play calling, execution, poor decisions, failed to move the ball during crucial times as well.

At least against the Commanders, we were on the positive side of a 1 point game.

 

[jobberone]

Our Sc% is at 40% which is a decent number and we are third in the league in points so our offense isn't the real problem. If you score 28 points per game you should be 10-6 or better. The problem is the defense is also at 40% with Sc% and has given up 28 ppg. You can certainly criticize the offense for its problems and they should be addressed if you want to improve especially in crucial conditions.

It's the defense that is killing this team.

 

[Next Years Champ]

For what it's worth, teams like DET and GB and CHI have close losses, too. If we get mulligans for ours, it's only fair to give them mulligans for theirs, and then we're back in the same position.

Nothing's going to change on the close losses until we field a defense capable of not collapsing. Holding penalties on running downs and running when you should be throwing are small potatoes compared to the points and yardage given up when you can't stop the other team short of taking the ball away from them.

I don't think you can hold the organization responsible here totally.

I don't think they imagined losing their top 3 DL men.

..nor would they see Romo going down like this.

I certainly didn't see all this coming.

Maybe others did.

It's really hard to evaluate Kiffin and the defense with no payers drafted or signed in FA..

So I'm just unsure with any definitive answers.

 

[ShiningStar]

I don't think you can hold the organization responsible here totally.

I don't think they imagined losing their top 3 DL men.

..nor would they see Romo going down like this.

I certainly didn't see all this coming.

Maybe others did.

It's really hard to evaluate Kiffin and the defense with no payers drafted or signed in FA..

So I'm just unsure with any definitive answers.

Romo going down is the norm, eitehr they have to start seeing that or looking up the meaning of contact sport.