Mosley: Cowboys can win for losing to Eagles

[Don Corleone]

Well, that goes without saying doesn't it.

Philly is more balanced Offensively and Defensively than New Orleans and Favre does not play well against us so I think Philly would be tops on my list of teams I don't want to face, but we handled them in Philly the first game from a defensive standpoint so I am confident we can do that again!

Philly is playing no different right now than the Saints prior to their 2 game losing streak. They are about as balanced as the Saints. A high powered offense with a questionable defense. Their return guy, Macho Harris, has also killed their special teams as of late.

 

[mldardy]

:signmast:

Uh no, Please stop trying to cosign this nonsense.

 

[aikemirv]

Philly is playing no different right now than the Saints prior to their 2 game losing streak. They are about as balanced as the Saints. A high powered offense with a questionable defense. Their return guy, Macho Harris, has also killed their special teams as of late.

Philly puts more pressure on the Qb than the Saints for sure, and Our OL has issues with pass protection IMO, so that is why I give the edge to the Eagirls!

 

[AMERICAS_FAN]

I just responded in another thread to somebody suggesting losing this weekend is the better option. Here's why it isnt.

First, while its possible (and maybe even likely) we'd play Philly again the following week if we win, its not a given.

Second, loisng, just so we can avoid playing them in consecutive weeks is stupid because we could still end up facing the Eagles somewhere in the postseason (NFC Championship). Is losing this game, so we avoid playing Philly back to back weeks (in our stadium) a better scenario than winning the game and getting at LEAST one home playoff game (and possibly two, we could host an NFC Championship if we win, whereas if we lose, we're locked into having to win 3 consecutive road games.

Finally, he mentions the Cards last yr in his column, the Cards won their division and ended up hosting the NFC Championship, even though they were the 4th seed. I think everyone in the Cards organization would say that worked out better for them than potentially having to win that NFC Championship on the road.

There's a reason teams try so hard to win their division, host playoff games and even better, get 1st round byes.

This!

But you forgot two of the best reasons for beating Philly on Sunday:

(1) I never, NEVER, accept any "good" reason for losing (and hoping for a perceived easier playoff schedule is a losers' mentality).

(2) I would love nothing more than to send the Eagles home in Jsnusry with an 0-3 record against Dallas in the 2009/10 season. A crack at that would be sweet!

 

[kmd24]

This stuff about beating the Eagles three times is so foolish, just like with the Giants in 2007. It defies logic, but logic skills have never been a prerequisite for being a sportswriter, I guess.

If you really want to consider what history has to say about the possibility of the Cowboys beating the Eagles in a hypothetical playoff game in Dallas, you'd have to look at the winning percentage of the home team in the third matchup, comparing home teams that swept the regular season series to home teams that split the season series.

I haven't done the research, but my guess is that the sample size is too small to say anything meaningful. Over time, sweeping teams should win the third matchup more often.

 

[Alexander]

(1) I never, NEVER, accept any "good" reason for losing (and hoping for a perceived easier playoff schedule is a losers' mentality).

Again, accepting and hoping for a loss is not the same as not being devastated by one if it occurs. If it happens, it happens and there are some silver linings. And despite the railing on Mosely in this thread, that was his general point. Not that it was a more desireable outcome than winning.

(2) I would love nothing more than to send the Eagles home in Jsnusry with an 0-3 record against Dallas in the 2009/10 season. A crack at that would be sweet!

I would also love to have a crack at beating three inferior opponents than the Eagles to reach the Super Bowl than have that sweet chance to make them suffer the way they have made us. We have had years to try to make they pay and seemingly come up short each time.

 

[dbair1967]

This is not nearly as much about mythical homefield advantages and a week of rest which only encourages a lack of focus.

There's nothing mythical about it, its pretty much proven over time that there is a home field advantage. The winning % for those games is higher.

There are plenty of examples of it not working out as well, but when the % is greater that the home team wins, thats not a myth or perception, its a fact. Home teams win more in the NFL, and the advantage is even greater in the postseason.

 

[dbair1967]

First and foremost, like dbair I responded to a similar post and this is entirely the wrong way to look at things. What Dbair stated was entirely correct, outside of the fact that Dallas COULD face Philly in the 2nd round. That is impossible. If Dallas loses Sunday, they are the 6 seed no matter what, :

But we could play them in the NFC Championship game at some point, and if we lose this game that championship game would be played in Philly. I like our odds of winning two consecutive weeks at home rather than losing to them at home, winning two more road playoff games just to get to a potential championship and then having to beat Philly in their place to get to the Super Bowl.

There arnt many instances of a 6th seed winning 3 road games to get to the super bowl. I think Pittsburgh in 2005 might be the only one, and I have always believed that was a fluke and possibly even a fix.

 

[JBS]

But we could play them in the NFC Championship game at some point, and if we lose this game that championship game would be played in Philly. I like our odds of winning two consecutive weeks at home rather than losing to them at home, winning two more road playoff games just to get to a potential championship and then having to beat Philly in their place to get to the Super Bowl.

There arnt many instances of a 6th seed winning 3 road games to get to the super bowl. I think Pittsburgh in 2005 might be the only one, and I have always believed that was a fluke and possibly even a fix.

I hear ya buddy..I am all for facing philly back 2 back...I honestly think if we beat Philly(this week) we WILL host the NFCC game. I think GB will beat AZ on Sunday to get us the 3 seed and after we beat Philly and Minn, we will be hosting AZ in the NFCC game. That is my prediction.

 

[Idgit]

This stuff about beating the Eagles three times is so foolish, just like with the Giants in 2007. It defies logic, but logic skills have never been a prerequisite for being a sportswriter, I guess.

If you really want to consider what history has to say about the possibility of the Cowboys beating the Eagles in a hypothetical playoff game in Dallas, you'd have to look at the winning percentage of the home team in the third matchup, comparing home teams that swept the regular season series to home teams that split the season series.

I haven't done the research, but my guess is that the sample size is too small to say anything meaningful. Over time, sweeping teams should win the third matchup more often.

This has been posted many times, but for some reason it never registers with anybody. The stats say what you'd expect them to say if you think about the question. Teams good enough to beat teams twice is a season typically do so because they're the better team and, as a result, they tend to win in the post season more often than not, too.

I think people get confused because they understand naturally that the odds are almost guaranteed to be against a team beating anyone three times at the outset. But once you already have two regular season victories, the third victory happens more often than not.

Mosely knows this. He's pulling the chain of Dallas fans and slipping in a veiled insult to get a reaction in the process. And we'll fall for the head-fake again, of course.

 

[LOBO7]

No team would want to play a playoff game on the road for any reason. Man up and beat who ever is in front of you.
Take no prisoners. If McNabb is hurt this could be things falling into place for us. After all these years we are due to have things go our way. Besides Wade really needs the NFC east crown to help save his job, +1 playoff win at least.

 

[aikemirv]

No team would want to play a playoff game on the road for any reason. Man up and beat who ever is in front of you.
Take no prisoners. If McNabb is hurt this could be things falling into place for us. After all these years we are due to have things go our way. Besides Wade really needs the NFC east crown to help save his job, +1 playoff win at least.

It is really a losers mindset and I hope that no Cowboy players fall into it.

It is Ok for us fans to say "I would like to play such and such.... home or away" but the team itself has to believe in themselves and not go into any game being scared or thinking they are afraid of losing or afraid of playing a certain team.

Confidence and trust gets you in the right frame of mind. Fear does nothing for you, respect, sure, but not fear!

 

[Doomsday101]

It is really a losers mindset and I hope that no Cowboy players fall into it.

It is Ok for us fans to say "I would like to play such and such.... home or away" but the team itself has to believe in themselves and not go into any game being scared or thinking they are afraid of losing or afraid of playing a certain team.

Confidence and trust gets you in the right frame of mind. Fear does nothing for you, respect, sure, but not fear!

I don't know about that Irvin once said fear is a great motivator. The fear of failing or the fear of losing can push players.

In this case I don't think Dallas fears any team out there. As Romo said they go into every game knowing they can win.

 

[Haley94]

Bullcrap!!! I hate that loser thinking. Just Win!!! and Win again!!

 

[jazzcat22]

What an idiot. I'm not reading anymore of his garbage.

 

[Taz]

one thing to keep in mind is we would be playing the eagles without there star defense coordinator

 

[dbair1967]

It is really a losers mindset and I hope that no Cowboy players fall into it.
It is Ok for us fans to say "I would like to play such and such.... home or away" but the team itself has to believe in themselves and not go into any game being scared or thinking they are afraid of losing or afraid of playing a certain team.

Should we lose to the Eagles and lose on the road in any round of the playoffs, the same people today saying losing this game to avoid Philly the next week would probably be the same one's who'd then turn around and say "well if we didnt have to go on the road for every game, we'd have won"

 

[JD_KaPow]

As we discovered in 2007, it's not easy to beat a division opponent three teams in one season -- especially a talented team such as the Eagles.

It's much much harder to beat an untalented team 3 times in a season.

The truth is this: winning this week is better than losing, but the gap is not huge. (Unless the Vikings & Cards lose, obviously).

 

[Dodger]

I'm actually surprised that this is even being debated.

For me it's pretty simple. You go out this weekend, you defeat the Eagles, and you punish them in the process. And by punish I mean physically abuse them. Make them hurt. Destroy McNabb. When DeSean Jackson catches one over the middle, you bury him.

I don't think it's enough to just win the game. Because there is a good chance that they'll play again right away, I want the Eagles thinking that that's the last thing they want to do.

 

[TD-33]

Uh no, Please stop trying to cosign this nonsense.

It isn't nonsense. I definitely want Dallas to stomp the egals _but_ if they lose it would be better to lose the 1st game than to lose the second and be knocked out vs them. Again. Sweeping a division rival even if it were the deadskins is no small task. And the egals are hardly this years skins.

AND, lots of these fans crying for 'victory or death' won't be fans if Dallas stumbles.