Dallas22
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Ok, I am sure I'll catch a lot of flack from some on here but here it goes anyways. Do TRUE Playoff teams let games like yesterday SLIP AWAY??? I know that everything was stacked against us BEFORE the game began: the tough Steeler Defense, the cold weather (WHAH!), the long list of injuries that they've amassed throughtout the season (as well as the new one to Barber) & last BUT NEVER least, the horrible, cup-cake coaching led by Wade "Redneck" Phillips. Even with all of these things against us I still held up hope that MAYBE we could stay in the game with Pittsburgh.
Now, after the game starts and we play horribly on Offense, mainly due to the poor decisions by Garrett & Romo (not the Steeler D) we VERY LUCKILY stay at a 3-3 tie at halftime. Our defense MUST get A LOT of credit (although no INTs again is a continuing dissapointment) and in the second half they played great as well. After TRYING to give the game away with seemingly turnover after turnover by the Offense & our wonderful special teams we were still right in the game.
Hopes were riding high when the offense woke up some in the 3rd quarter and got the score to 13-3 as well as our defense coming up with a HUGE goalline stop. Wonderful, except that our punter and special teams coverage AFTER the goalline stop gave them the ball BACK at our 25... nice, they get a FG and pull within 7 points under 7 minute to play. I'm thinking "here we go again", although I'm also thinking, what a way to battle all of these "demons" of December and how we can't finish a game that now we SHOULD win by taking down the mighty Steelers in their home with 1 nice drive to end the game. I guess the "Here we go again" logic was stuck in the Cowboys players & coaches heads again. Giving the ball to the Steelers and letting them drive on our Defense was embarresing. Our defenders had no clue what to do on that drive, it was like they were in a haze... I just can't seem to lay full blame on the players at this point - THIS IS A COACHING PROBLEM. Why not call time out and gather your defense together? Bad coaching, that's why. All of us knew what was going to happen... the Steelers were going to tie up the game at 13-13... we ALL knew this. Watch the game again and see how confused our defense was on the final drive by the Steelers. It's great that Wade did a good job coaching the defense for 3.5 quarters but we need a full 4 to WIN! As the Steelers were driving I said this to the other Cowboys fans around me, "We are going to lose this game. The reason is that after they score a TD to tie the game up at 13, their defense will force a turnover and we won't even have a shot to get it into overtime." I am a realist but I can't predict the future... I said this because I felt in my body and knew in my mind that this game was collapsing in front of my eyes and this Cowboys team & coaches doesn't have what it takes not only to be a Playoff/Super Bowl contender, but also the HEART or DRIVE to put away a game like this one. I don't need to continue on because everyone knows what happened next, another HUGE blow to our playoff chances
Here's the deal, we can pick any of the negatives stacked against us and blame it on that but then you'd be ignoring the TRUTH... The truth is that TRUE Playoff caliber & Super Bowl-hyped teams DON'T LOSE THESE TYPES OF MUST WIN GAMES SLIP AWAY. Me and my boy are coming to Dallas this Friday for my first & last time to Texas Stadium. We'll still cheer for our Cowboys until we lose our voice but we are also realistic about this team no matter how badly we WANT them to make the Playoffs. I'm going to enjoy myself in Dallas and at the Cowboys game on Sunday night... I know we can beat the Giants and obviously I HOPE that we do (If we don't this season is officially done), but it sure would've been more fun going out to Dallas knowing that THIS Cowboy team had won their TOUGHEST game to date against the Pittsburgh Steelers in December, in the cold, with all these injuries & with our poor coaching when the game REALLY MATTERED... Unfortunatly, this game was just given away along with MAYBE the season.
:shoot6:
Now, after the game starts and we play horribly on Offense, mainly due to the poor decisions by Garrett & Romo (not the Steeler D) we VERY LUCKILY stay at a 3-3 tie at halftime. Our defense MUST get A LOT of credit (although no INTs again is a continuing dissapointment) and in the second half they played great as well. After TRYING to give the game away with seemingly turnover after turnover by the Offense & our wonderful special teams we were still right in the game.
Hopes were riding high when the offense woke up some in the 3rd quarter and got the score to 13-3 as well as our defense coming up with a HUGE goalline stop. Wonderful, except that our punter and special teams coverage AFTER the goalline stop gave them the ball BACK at our 25... nice, they get a FG and pull within 7 points under 7 minute to play. I'm thinking "here we go again", although I'm also thinking, what a way to battle all of these "demons" of December and how we can't finish a game that now we SHOULD win by taking down the mighty Steelers in their home with 1 nice drive to end the game. I guess the "Here we go again" logic was stuck in the Cowboys players & coaches heads again. Giving the ball to the Steelers and letting them drive on our Defense was embarresing. Our defenders had no clue what to do on that drive, it was like they were in a haze... I just can't seem to lay full blame on the players at this point - THIS IS A COACHING PROBLEM. Why not call time out and gather your defense together? Bad coaching, that's why. All of us knew what was going to happen... the Steelers were going to tie up the game at 13-13... we ALL knew this. Watch the game again and see how confused our defense was on the final drive by the Steelers. It's great that Wade did a good job coaching the defense for 3.5 quarters but we need a full 4 to WIN! As the Steelers were driving I said this to the other Cowboys fans around me, "We are going to lose this game. The reason is that after they score a TD to tie the game up at 13, their defense will force a turnover and we won't even have a shot to get it into overtime." I am a realist but I can't predict the future... I said this because I felt in my body and knew in my mind that this game was collapsing in front of my eyes and this Cowboys team & coaches doesn't have what it takes not only to be a Playoff/Super Bowl contender, but also the HEART or DRIVE to put away a game like this one. I don't need to continue on because everyone knows what happened next, another HUGE blow to our playoff chances
Here's the deal, we can pick any of the negatives stacked against us and blame it on that but then you'd be ignoring the TRUTH... The truth is that TRUE Playoff caliber & Super Bowl-hyped teams DON'T LOSE THESE TYPES OF MUST WIN GAMES SLIP AWAY. Me and my boy are coming to Dallas this Friday for my first & last time to Texas Stadium. We'll still cheer for our Cowboys until we lose our voice but we are also realistic about this team no matter how badly we WANT them to make the Playoffs. I'm going to enjoy myself in Dallas and at the Cowboys game on Sunday night... I know we can beat the Giants and obviously I HOPE that we do (If we don't this season is officially done), but it sure would've been more fun going out to Dallas knowing that THIS Cowboy team had won their TOUGHEST game to date against the Pittsburgh Steelers in December, in the cold, with all these injuries & with our poor coaching when the game REALLY MATTERED... Unfortunatly, this game was just given away along with MAYBE the season.
:shoot6:
