It was a painful loss, but mainly the execution end of it...I didn't really have any illusions about how good the Pats were...They might just be better than the Cowboys in '95, really...Especially, if they develop their running game again.
A lot of bad but even some good in this...Mostly, I was disappointed in the lack of pass rush, penetration on the D-Line, poor LBs (No run stopping) and generally poor tackling from the defense...Did all of those things make them lose?...No...I'm not sure Wade & Co. game planned well on either side of the ball, really...Penalties definitely reflected the lack of discipline the Cowboys possess, as well....Everytime they had a shot, they ended up shooting themselves in the foot.
I still maintain that when they got into the red zone late they wasted opportunities to score a TD after Tyson Thompson finally got a decent return....They walked away with 3pts instead of 7 and it could've been a different ballgame had they better exectued in the red zone there...Even going for it would've been a good move, you gamble and lose you're still 2 scores down which is what they were after the FG...Offensively, they ended up in so many 3rd and longs (Refrain, I know) which is always going to catch up to you...And that might work with Tony Ballgame against most opponents but not with the front 7 of NE...That's not a knock on Tony, just a fact...That being said, Pats seemed to always have someone open on offense despite the rush and despite the coverage...Conversely, Cowboys didn't...Big gap there in terms of coaching....And running game?...Signature example that this tandem stuff is a waste of time, there's no real running game much less effective run blocking...If Dallas wants to run, let's see them use Barber or use JJ but this back and forth really looked desperate yesterday...And I don't care what any 'expert' says, Flozell should not be resigned
Defensively, what can you say?...Apart from that late failure by Reeves on Stallworth, DBs tried to stay in coverages and not give up anything big...Still, they couldn't negate the passing attack, period...In particular, anything within 5 yards was an automatic completion for the Pats...And pass rush?...Still a lofty dream, IMHO....Hardly a whimper, especially by the much hyped DWare...Where was Ellis and Spencer?
It's painful but there are some caveats here...This still is a better team than last season (Although, I agree, the Indy game showcased a stouter defense...but it never reappeared as the season went on last year)...There's a lot of the season left and they will get better and healthier...It was a measuring stick game and for 3 Qtrs, they were in it...The cream rose to the top, though, by the end.
I will say this, Philips' much ballyhooed force of a 3-4 to be reckoned with has been as overhyped as any I can remember...I can recall a lot of rhetoric in the preseason about how much freedom the defense now had to make plays rather than Parcells' 3-4...Big joke....Spears is worthless which still surprises me since he was such a force at LSU
We should take solace in the fact that this a budding team, not a finished product...Better days still ahead.
