Playoff losses provide lessons about where your team needs to get better - except here

[Bobhaze]

To be fair they used their last two first round picks on trench players, Mazi and Guyton. They also got another one in BeBee in the 3rd. Unfortunately picking late in the 1st has not given us the “quality” or ready to play that generally comes with a 1st round pick. KC also drafted Kingsley Sumatia right after us and have already benched him as he’s not ready.

The running back room is an epic disaster.

That’s a good point Aven. But my thought is, it’s not just that we “addressed“ a position in the draft, but also WHO we drafted and what physical qualities they bring to shore up weaknesses. We need some beasts.

What I mean by that is we knew we needed some pass rushing help and some run stop help too, so we drafted Taco Charleton in the first round in 2017. He was a DE and supposedly a good pass rusher, but did we draft the right kind of player? Taco was never going to be a physical, punishing player. He was the right position to address, just not the right kind of player at that position. (We all know we passed on TJ Watt too although I don’t hold that against our FO)

This year I was glad we addressed OL in the draft in Guyton and Beebe. We also drafted what appears to be a good DE in round two with Kneeland. We don’t know yet whether or not these guys are exactly what we needed. I think Beebe is but the jury is still out on Guyton and Kneeland.

My point is we need some physically punishing players on both sides of the ball. We haven’t had that in far too long and our playoff losses have made that clear.

 

[Coogiguy03]

But we did get better.

Gave up 273 rushing yards
then only gave up 170 rushing yards
finally gave up only 150 rushing yards

Jerry will say that's improving.

right lol lol like that's something to really hang your hat on, you got to love jerry

 

[OGSixshooter]

Jerral has gone full-on Al Davis. There is no return until he passes or removes himself from all football operations.

Pretty much. He basically said - in the offseason and repeated it during his recent interview - 'Only I can fix it'. Remarks like "Who else you gonna get?" "I'm the only one who can make these decisions"...and then refusing to answer questions about your "unassailable" decisions...is full on Emperor With No Clothes mode. Al Davis drafting for speed and ruining the Raiders draft for years on end - until he died.

 

[Manster_Mash]

The only stat and result that matters around here: $10B. Suck on that niners, rams, packers, et al.

 

[Fmart322]

The ultimate judge of any pro football team in a season is what that team does in the playoffs. Playoff wins reinforce the good things about your team. Playoff losses provide the opportunity to dissect what your team lacks. The best GMs take that loss, look at what the opponent was successful at exploiting, what their team could and could not do, and find ways to address that in the off-season.

What is so frustrating about this arrogant, unaccountable 82 year old GM in Dallas is his inability (or refusal) to dissect his team critically after a playoff loss and find serious ways to improve in the off-season. How many times have we heard JJ or his entitled son say that all they needed was some luck or the ball to bounce our way? What a crock.

LOOK AT THE RECENT PLAYOFF LOSSES AND WHAT THEY SHOWED ABOUT US

• 2018- Lost to the LA Rams 30-22 in the divisional round and the biggest lesson was clear- the Cowboys gave up 273 yards rushing. They got trucked and were physically dominated. Dak actually played well, throwing a TD and no picks. but the defense was overwhelmed. We got sacked once, did not sack them at all.
• 2021- Lost to the SF 49ers 23-16 in the divisional round and there were two huge problems: 1. (Surprise!) The inability to stop the run, giving up 170 yards on the ground and 2. Set a record with the number of penalties - 14 penalties for 89 yards! This included 7 pre-snap penalties. Again they got physically dominated. Dak was just ok, throwing a TD but had one pick. Dak was sacked 5 times, we got zero sacks against a statue QB Jimmy Garropolo.
• 2022- Lost again to the niners in the divisional round 19-12. A game where Dak was bad, throwing 2 picks, and the niners once again out-physicaled us. Their defense smothered us, holding us to 76 yards rushing and we had 7 costly penalties.
• 2023- Lost 48-32 at home in the wild card round. A complete embarrassment from the opening kickoff. Dak was terrible again, throwing two costly picks in the first half including a pick 6, we got physically manhandled by the 7th seed packers. Dak was sacked 4 times and we never sacked Jordan Love once. They rushed for nearly 150 yards and completely dominated us physically.

So what were the common problems in all 4 of those playoff losses?

• This team gets physically whipped by playoff teams. It’s obvious. The playoffs show which teams are physical and the Cowboys are always getting whipped in the physical battle. Every single time.
• This team cannot stop the run. It’s so obvious, there’s no need to discuss.
• In the last 4 playoff losses, the Cowboys have 2 sacks against the opponents QB…2. And the Cowboys QB has been sacked 12 times.
• If Dak Prescott is going to have success in the playoffs, he needs a running game. In the two wins Dak has in the playoffs, here are the rushing totals:
  • WC win 24-22 vs Sea in 2018- Cowboys rushed for 164 yards. Dak had 2 TDs, no picks.
  • WC win 31-14 vs Tampa in 2022- Cowboys rushed for 137 yards. Dak had 4 TDs, no picks.
  • In all the playoff losses Dak has been the QB, the team cannot run the ball. When he has no running game, it all falls to Dak.
• Penalties - An ongoing problem under Big Mac that never seems to get addressed.

So with all these clear deficiencies- getting physically whipped by playoff opponents, inability to stop the run, your highly paid QB needs a running game to be effective (most QBs do), and your team is so undisciplined in the playoffs, they average double double digit penalties…

And what does this GM learn from all this? We just need to get lucky?

Great post. You just delivered all the facts.
The Cowboys really need to develop the front 7 on defense and the OL on offense. I, along with so many other fans, have been screaming this for close to 20+ years.....and it fall on deaf ears unfortunately.

You know, being a Cowboys fan is probably the closest thing to knowing what a north Korean citizen feels like.

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

The problems are all caused by inefficiencies in the passing game, which is what happens when you refuse to invest in WR talent and constantly put your offense behind the ball by running on first down (as in SF)

 

[Blackspider214]

Go back to 2014 and 2016. Both of those ended to Rodgers and the Packers. In both games, our defense was terrible. In 2014, they allowed Rodgers to dominate us the whole 2nd half. In 2016, they allowed Rodgers to easily score 3TDS on their first 3 drives. And both defenses while made some plays at times, just could not get off the field and make a play when it mattered. Even after the overturned Dez catch, Dallas defense got GB into three 3rd downs, one was a 3rd and long and let them convert them all. And we all know what the defense did in 2016 when GB had very little time left at the end of the game. While the offense could have made a few more plays in each game, the defense was the big weakness.

This team is extremely soft in the trenches on defense in these playoff games.

 

[MyFairLady]

Jerral has gone full-on Al Davis. There is no return until he passes or removes himself from all football operations.

Honestly may get even worse. Jerry is 82 freaking years old. The same age Al was when his passed away I think. If you think having an 82 year old at the helm is insane imagine a 90 year old cause it is coming baby.

 

[MyFairLady]

This team showed you everything you needed to know in that Green Bay game last year. We pretended it never happened and gave them all a huge raise. We deserve what is happening.

 

[Chasing6]

The ultimate judge of any pro football team in a season is what that team does in the playoffs. Playoff wins reinforce the good things about your team. Playoff losses provide the opportunity to dissect what your team lacks. The best GMs take that loss, look at what the opponent was successful at exploiting, what their team could and could not do, and find ways to address that in the off-season.

What is so frustrating about this arrogant, unaccountable 82 year old GM in Dallas is his inability (or refusal) to dissect his team critically after a playoff loss and find serious ways to improve in the off-season. How many times have we heard JJ or his entitled son say that all they needed was some luck or the ball to bounce our way? What a crock.

LOOK AT THE RECENT PLAYOFF LOSSES AND WHAT THEY SHOWED ABOUT US

• 2018- Lost to the LA Rams 30-22 in the divisional round and the biggest lesson was clear- the Cowboys gave up 273 yards rushing. They got trucked and were physically dominated. Dak actually played well, throwing a TD and no picks. but the defense was overwhelmed. We got sacked once, did not sack them at all.
• 2021- Lost to the SF 49ers 23-16 in the divisional round and there were two huge problems: 1. (Surprise!) The inability to stop the run, giving up 170 yards on the ground and 2. Set a record with the number of penalties - 14 penalties for 89 yards! This included 7 pre-snap penalties. Again they got physically dominated. Dak was just ok, throwing a TD but had one pick. Dak was sacked 5 times, we got zero sacks against a statue QB Jimmy Garropolo.
• 2022- Lost again to the niners in the divisional round 19-12. A game where Dak was bad, throwing 2 picks, and the niners once again out-physicaled us. Their defense smothered us, holding us to 76 yards rushing and we had 7 costly penalties.
• 2023- Lost 48-32 at home in the wild card round. A complete embarrassment from the opening kickoff. Dak was terrible again, throwing two costly picks in the first half including a pick 6, we got physically manhandled by the 7th seed packers. Dak was sacked 4 times and we never sacked Jordan Love once. They rushed for nearly 150 yards and completely dominated us physically.

So what were the common problems in all 4 of those playoff losses?

• This team gets physically whipped by playoff teams. It’s obvious. The playoffs show which teams are physical and the Cowboys are always getting whipped in the physical battle. Every single time.
• This team cannot stop the run. It’s so obvious, there’s no need to discuss.
• In the last 4 playoff losses, the Cowboys have 2 sacks against the opponents QB…2. And the Cowboys QB has been sacked 12 times.
• If Dak Prescott is going to have success in the playoffs, he needs a running game. In the two wins Dak has in the playoffs, here are the rushing totals:
  • WC win 24-22 vs Sea in 2018- Cowboys rushed for 164 yards. Dak had 2 TDs, no picks.
  • WC win 31-14 vs Tampa in 2022- Cowboys rushed for 137 yards. Dak had 4 TDs, no picks.
  • In all the playoff losses Dak has been the QB, the team cannot run the ball. When he has no running game, it all falls to Dak.
• Penalties - An ongoing problem under Big Mac that never seems to get addressed.

So with all these clear deficiencies- getting physically whipped by playoff opponents, inability to stop the run, your highly paid QB needs a running game to be effective (most QBs do), and your team is so undisciplined in the playoffs, they average double double digit penalties…

And what does this GM learn from all this? We just need to get lucky?

And what do half our fans think. It is all Dak's fault.

Then when you try to point out and show them how we won in the 90's, with our dominant run game, you are labeled as a hater.

Balanced complimentary football teams win in the playoffs. We do not have anything close to that at this time and yes that is the GM's job.

KC has three different people doing the same job as Jerry. Never mind the fact that he is 82 years old.

 

[MarcusRock]

Stop looking at the box score.

The reason the team was down is because they CAME OUT throwing. Trying to confuse GB and weren't controlling the clock.

Here's what my boxscore tells me that flies in the face of what you say:

1st Drive
Run
Pass
Run
Pass
Sack - 6 yards, therefore ...
Pass
Pass (incomplete)
FG

2nd Drive
Run
Run
Run
Pass
Run
Penalty - 15 Yards, therefore ...
Pass (incomplete)
Pass (incomplete)
Punt

3rd Drive
Pass (incomplete)
Run
Pass (incomplete)
Punt

So that's 17 offensive plays with 7 runs and 10 passes sprinkled in with a 15-yd penalty and a sack that typically tilts towards passing after that. And they ignored Zeke to start the game as you say? Do you blowhards just expect no one to fact check your "misrememberings?"

After 3 drives for each team, the score is 21-3. Again, are you not going to be pass heavy at this point?

 

[gtb1943]

The problems are all caused by inefficiencies in the passing game, which is what happens when you refuse to invest in WR talent and constantly put your offense behind the ball by running on first down (as in SF)

anyone who passed football 101 knows EVERYTHING starts with the trenches
if they fail nothing else will work
both lines are failing
until they are solid nothing else matters

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

anyone who passed football 101 knows EVERYTHING starts with the trenches
if they fail nothing else will work
both lines are failing
until they are solid nothing else matters

Yes, the offensive line would be an "inefficiency in the passing game" as would the DL on the opposite side.

 

[gtb1943]

Yes, the offensive line would be an "inefficiency in the passing game" as would the DL on the opposite side.

and that is the most damning thing about Jethro; he bleats about not needing more talent or wanting more talent and the DL is BEGGING for talent
and with Steele not coming back and martin failing, we are in bad shape with two rookies starting of which one clearly is not ready

 

[John813]

I want to know what we did in the off-season to fix these issues

Thoughts and prayers.


That Rams game post game talk was disgusting. The Rams OL knew how our DLine was going to react most downs. The battle was over before the snap.
Also showed that the Smith-LVE duo had holes.

 

[JeffInDC]

I want to know what we did in the off-season to fix these issues

Waited to give CeeDee and Dak the deals THEY KNEW the players wanted - yet CAVED at the last minute. And, doing these deals created well over $24M in Cap Room. This is Cap Room THEY COULD'VE HAD ON DAY 1 OF FREE AGENCY!!!!!!!!!!!! Once again, all these issues are coming from the top and their utter stubbornness to do things in a way that appeases Jerry/Stephens ego and constantly trying to show that they know more than anyone else in the NFL. Overpaying Dak is a Jerry/Stephen ego issue to show they know better about what Elite QB play is when everyone in the world knows Dak is only a good to sometimes really good QB THAT CAN'T CARRY HIS TEAM ON HIS BACK.

That's what they did THIS year. Probably something similar the other years as well.

 

[JeffInDC]

Thoughts and prayers.


That Rams game post game talk was disgusting. The Rams OL knew how our DLine was going to react most downs. The battle was over before the snap.
Also showed that the Smith-LVE duo had holes.

DANG!!!! Not the thoughts and prayers mantra...that's mean.

 

[MyFairLady]

The players you saw quit against Detroit are the same players that quit against Green Bay. The same leadership in the locker room that let the Green Bay game happen let the Detroit game happen. Sure the coaches are old as dirt and obsolete. Sure management are ancient and out of touch. At the end of the day the players have to man up and decide what it is they want to be a part of. We already knew what they had decided. They are just reminding us what they chose.

 

[buybuydandavis]

The ultimate judge of any pro football team in a season is what that team does in the playoffs. Playoff wins reinforce the good things about your team. Playoff losses provide the opportunity to dissect what your team lacks. The best GMs take that loss, look at what the opponent was successful at exploiting, what their team could and could not do, and find ways to address that in the off-season.

What is so frustrating about this arrogant, unaccountable 82 year old GM in Dallas is his inability (or refusal) to dissect his team critically after a playoff loss and find serious ways to improve in the off-season. How many times have we heard JJ or his entitled son say that all they needed was some luck or the ball to bounce our way? What a crock.

LOOK AT THE RECENT PLAYOFF LOSSES AND WHAT THEY SHOWED ABOUT US

• 2018- Lost to the LA Rams 30-22 in the divisional round and the biggest lesson was clear- the Cowboys gave up 273 yards rushing. They got trucked and were physically dominated. Dak actually played well, throwing a TD and no picks. but the defense was overwhelmed. We got sacked once, did not sack them at all.
• 2021- Lost to the SF 49ers 23-16 in the divisional round and there were two huge problems: 1. (Surprise!) The inability to stop the run, giving up 170 yards on the ground and 2. Set a record with the number of penalties - 14 penalties for 89 yards! This included 7 pre-snap penalties. Again they got physically dominated. Dak was just ok, throwing a TD but had one pick. Dak was sacked 5 times, we got zero sacks against a statue QB Jimmy Garropolo.
• 2022- Lost again to the niners in the divisional round 19-12. A game where Dak was bad, throwing 2 picks, and the niners once again out-physicaled us. Their defense smothered us, holding us to 76 yards rushing and we had 7 costly penalties.
• 2023- Lost 48-32 at home in the wild card round. A complete embarrassment from the opening kickoff. Dak was terrible again, throwing two costly picks in the first half including a pick 6, we got physically manhandled by the 7th seed packers. Dak was sacked 4 times and we never sacked Jordan Love once. They rushed for nearly 150 yards and completely dominated us physically.

So what were the common problems in all 4 of those playoff losses?

• This team gets physically whipped by playoff teams. It’s obvious. The playoffs show which teams are physical and the Cowboys are always getting whipped in the physical battle. Every single time.
• This team cannot stop the run. It’s so obvious, there’s no need to discuss.
• In the last 4 playoff losses, the Cowboys have 2 sacks against the opponents QB…2. And the Cowboys QB has been sacked 12 times.
• If Dak Prescott is going to have success in the playoffs, he needs a running game. In the two wins Dak has in the playoffs, here are the rushing totals:
  • WC win 24-22 vs Sea in 2018- Cowboys rushed for 164 yards. Dak had 2 TDs, no picks.
  • WC win 31-14 vs Tampa in 2022- Cowboys rushed for 137 yards. Dak had 4 TDs, no picks.
  • In all the playoff losses Dak has been the QB, the team cannot run the ball. When he has no running game, it all falls to Dak.
• Penalties - An ongoing problem under Big Mac that never seems to get addressed.

So with all these clear deficiencies- getting physically whipped by playoff opponents, inability to stop the run, your highly paid QB needs a running game to be effective (most QBs do), and your team is so undisciplined in the playoffs, they average double double digit penalties…

And what does this GM learn from all this? We just need to get lucky?

Playoff lesson: Can't run, can't stop the run.
What positions did we spend no resources and leave gaping holes in the roster in the offseason?
RB and DT.

I had a theory to explain this. They were purposefully sabotaging this season's prospects to force Dak to agree to a trade or to drive down his price for next year.

At least there would have been some sense to it, and the latter would have obviously worked as Dak's play has simply cratered this year.

But instead, they extended Dak to the largest contract in the league with *no* plan or actions to *undo* their offseason sabotage.

Just finished watching a video arguing more sabotage, with us running Zeke instead of Dowdle, showing how there is just no denying that Zeke is worse.

Is Jerry just lashing out in *spite* against a team that has "failed him"? A passive aggressive sabotage? His unhinged ranting on the radio today would certainly be *consistent* with that theory.

 

[Chasing6]

The ultimate judge of any pro football team in a season is what that team does in the playoffs. Playoff wins reinforce the good things about your team. Playoff losses provide the opportunity to dissect what your team lacks. The best GMs take that loss, look at what the opponent was successful at exploiting, what their team could and could not do, and find ways to address that in the off-season.

What is so frustrating about this arrogant, unaccountable 82 year old GM in Dallas is his inability (or refusal) to dissect his team critically after a playoff loss and find serious ways to improve in the off-season. How many times have we heard JJ or his entitled son say that all they needed was some luck or the ball to bounce our way? What a crock.

LOOK AT THE RECENT PLAYOFF LOSSES AND WHAT THEY SHOWED ABOUT US

• 2018- Lost to the LA Rams 30-22 in the divisional round and the biggest lesson was clear- the Cowboys gave up 273 yards rushing. They got trucked and were physically dominated. Dak actually played well, throwing a TD and no picks. but the defense was overwhelmed. We got sacked once, did not sack them at all.
• 2021- Lost to the SF 49ers 23-16 in the divisional round and there were two huge problems: 1. (Surprise!) The inability to stop the run, giving up 170 yards on the ground and 2. Set a record with the number of penalties - 14 penalties for 89 yards! This included 7 pre-snap penalties. Again they got physically dominated. Dak was just ok, throwing a TD but had one pick. Dak was sacked 5 times, we got zero sacks against a statue QB Jimmy Garropolo.
• 2022- Lost again to the niners in the divisional round 19-12. A game where Dak was bad, throwing 2 picks, and the niners once again out-physicaled us. Their defense smothered us, holding us to 76 yards rushing and we had 7 costly penalties.
• 2023- Lost 48-32 at home in the wild card round. A complete embarrassment from the opening kickoff. Dak was terrible again, throwing two costly picks in the first half including a pick 6, we got physically manhandled by the 7th seed packers. Dak was sacked 4 times and we never sacked Jordan Love once. They rushed for nearly 150 yards and completely dominated us physically.

So what were the common problems in all 4 of those playoff losses?

• This team gets physically whipped by playoff teams. It’s obvious. The playoffs show which teams are physical and the Cowboys are always getting whipped in the physical battle. Every single time.
• This team cannot stop the run. It’s so obvious, there’s no need to discuss.
• In the last 4 playoff losses, the Cowboys have 2 sacks against the opponents QB…2. And the Cowboys QB has been sacked 12 times.
• If Dak Prescott is going to have success in the playoffs, he needs a running game. In the two wins Dak has in the playoffs, here are the rushing totals:
  • WC win 24-22 vs Sea in 2018- Cowboys rushed for 164 yards. Dak had 2 TDs, no picks.
  • WC win 31-14 vs Tampa in 2022- Cowboys rushed for 137 yards. Dak had 4 TDs, no picks.
  • In all the playoff losses Dak has been the QB, the team cannot run the ball. When he has no running game, it all falls to Dak.
• Penalties - An ongoing problem under Big Mac that never seems to get addressed.

So with all these clear deficiencies- getting physically whipped by playoff opponents, inability to stop the run, your highly paid QB needs a running game to be effective (most QBs do), and your team is so undisciplined in the playoffs, they average double double digit penalties…

And what does this GM learn from all this? We just need to get lucky?

I agree and FA is where you fill those holes. The draft is for best player available.

You can't draft best player available when you have big holes in your roster.