Playoffs... The New Season

[Chuck 54]

I can't believe that anyone would be worried about the playoffs based on anything you saw in today's game...ridiculous.

Everything depends on being healthy. Put TO and Gurode in the offense, along with Newman and Ratliff back in the defense, and this is an entirely different team.

While many say we struggled in December, we actually lost one game (Philly),and this past game doesn't count...we played without our center, without our receiving star, without our best CB and without our NG, not to mention our nickel safety.

We also did no gameplanning with anything special against Washington...why would we run anything special on offense or defense? Why would we even make any adjustments or put in any wrinkles to win a game that meant nothing? You don't beat any team in the NFL with your backups or without significant gameplanning. Whether we see Washington again in the playoffs or not, we were not going to show anything new in this game for the other teams in the playoffs to see...therefore, there was nothing going on out there that Washington wasn't ready for, along with approaching the game knowing their season was on the line while we just wanted to get through it.

I laughed all week at the guys who kept saying we'd beat Washington with our backups...NE couldn't beat Washington with their backups and would have lost to the Giants big if the perfect season hadn't been on the line. Look at Seattle...lost. Tampa Bay...lost. Giants...lost. Dallas...lost. Jacksonville gave up 42 points to freakin Houston!!! This is the NFL...you don't play well when you don't play most of your starters...your starters don't play well when you are vanilla on offense or defense...no one performs well when the game means nothing while the other team is playing for pride or a playoff spot.

Relax...there's plenty of time to be negative if we lose in the playoffs. Last year we had a true, legit december choking swoon, yet we came out in the first round of the playoffs and outplayed Seattle, only to give away a win.

If healthy, this Dallas team will roll over the first opponent, be it Washington, NY, or Tampa Bay. The team will be focused, intense, sky high, at home, while the coaches will have studied, prepared, and put in every wrinkle available on both sides of the field and on special teams.

However,

We will not go far, if anywhere without TO...we will struggle on the line without Gurode...Our defense will be abused without Newman...our DL will be less active and less effective without Ratliff.

Everything depends on being healthy.

 

[windward]

 

[canters]

Nice post.

 

[Hostile]

At least someone was awake for this game and the implications.

 

[HardHittingRoy31]

I can't believe that anyone would be worried about the playoffs based on anything you saw in today's game...ridiculous.

Everything depends on being healthy. Put TO and Gurode in the offense, along with Newman and Ratliff back in the defense, and this is an entirely different team.

While many say we struggled in December, we actually lost one game (Philly),and this past game doesn't count...we played without our center, without our receiving star, without our best CB and without our NG, not to mention our nickel safety.

We also did no gameplanning with anything special against Washington...why would we run anything special on offense or defense? Why would we even make any adjustments or put in any wrinkles to win a game that meant nothing? You don't beat any team in the NFL with your backups or without significant gameplanning. Whether we see Washington again in the playoffs or not, we were not going to show anything new in this game for the other teams in the playoffs to see...therefore, there was nothing going on out there that Washington wasn't ready for, along with approaching the game knowing their season was on the line while we just wanted to get through it.

I laughed all week at the guys who kept saying we'd beat Washington with our backups...NE couldn't beat Washington with their backups and would have lost to the Giants big if the perfect season hadn't been on the line. Look at Seattle...lost. Tampa Bay...lost. Giants...lost. Dallas...lost. Jacksonville gave up 42 points to freakin Houston!!! This is the NFL...you don't play well when you don't play most of your starters...your starters don't play well when you are vanilla on offense or defense...no one performs well when the game means nothing while the other team is playing for pride or a playoff spot.

Relax...there's plenty of time to be negative if we lose in the playoffs. Last year we had a true, legit december choking swoon, yet we came out in the first round of the playoffs and outplayed Seattle, only to give away a win.

If healthy, this Dallas team will roll over the first opponent, be it Washington, NY, or Tampa Bay. The team will be focused, intense, sky high, at home, while the coaches will have studied, prepared, and put in every wrinkle available on both sides of the field and on special teams.

However,

We will not go far, if anywhere without TO...we will struggle on the line without Gurode...Our defense will be abused without Newman...our DL will be less active and less effective without Ratliff.

Everything depends on being healthy.

 

[TNCowboy]

Hate to rain on your parade, but we were playing most of our starters. And they were horrible.

 

[newlander]

You're right Wayne, but there's a couple things going on here. Number one, first and foremost virtually ALL cowboys fans are inherently spoiled. We want to win every game by ALOT. Secondly, the hatred for Washington and their midget owner, overrated "legend" coach and classless joke of a team knows no boundaries. I deeply hope we get another crack in two weeks. It'll be hard to watch, because my hatred is all consuming with them, but I seriously doubt we lose a rematch. BTW: this loss will be good for us IMO: we'll come out ready in two weeks.

 

[Chuck 54]

Hate to rain on your parade, but we were playing most of our starters. And they were horrible.

Hate to disappoint you, but reread the post...we played without our starting center or our best WR. We played without our best CB and our starting NT, forcing us to play a DE at Nose for the first time all year. Romo missed an easy run in for a TD when he tried to force the pass to Witten. Austin missed an easy TD catch in the first half and another in the 2nd half. We started pulling defensive players before the offense, but midway in the 3rd quarter Kozier was the only starting OL in the game with Brad Johnson.

But even if we'd played our "healthy" starters the entire game, we had no chance against a divisional opponent who knows us that well when we played vanilla on both sides of the ball...it's not like coaches or players wanted to lose, but our players and coaches did not approach the game the way the Commanders did...they looked faster than us because they were playing with more intensity and focus. Even when the game was still within reach and Romo was in the game, we weren't going to do anything fancy and let both Washington and other playoff teams see anything other than the same old stuff.

I guarantee you the coaches will say that Washington did some things, made some adjustments against us from the first meeting...I'll guarantee you we did not because it would be stupid to do that in the name of winning a game that meant nothing instead of holding back any adjustments or new wrinkles for the playoffs.

Our players were not fired up, and they were basically playing with one arm tied behind their backs...that's why the other playoff teams with nothing to play for also lost, and most of them lost to teams that aren't even going into the playoffs.

Relax...it means nothing, and if you actually thought we'd beat the Commanders just by showing up, I'm sorry you were disappointed, but that was predictable.

If we don't spank our first playoff opponent, you can feel free to call me on it.

 

[ScipioCowboy]

I can't believe that anyone would be worried about the playoffs based on anything you saw in today's game...ridiculous.

Everything depends on being healthy. Put TO and Gurode in the offense, along with Newman and Ratliff back in the defense, and this is an entirely different team.

While many say we struggled in December, we actually lost one game (Philly),and this past game doesn't count...

I agree with everything you say except the bolded part. Every game counts, if only from a psychological and emotional standpoint. And today's game was most certainly a beatdown in every possible way - physically, emotionally, and pyschologically.

The loss doesn't trouble me. The poor execution, however, does. Execution should be honed and maintained on a weekly basis. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the game and the Cowboys goals, there's no excuse for poor execution and preperation.

 

[Achozen]

Great post.

 

[newlander]

that is, I'm convinced. We sleep walked all week and because of poor prep and a lack of urgency we got rolled. If won't matter IF we get on a roll in 2 weeks which we're totally capable of. You can post a ton more on it, and the two camps will still disagree on the meaning of the loss. We'll be OK if we're healthy, and I think we will be despite Wade's hemming and hawing: everyone knows T.O., Andre, Jay, and co. will all be ready. Glenn is only question mark, and I think he shoots up and goes too. Waiting two weeks SUCKS though..

 

[RCowboyFan]

I agree without TO, seems like the OFfense doesn't look as threatening. On Top of it, Glenn hasn't been healthy. If one of them was totally healthy, it would be a different case.

And if Glenn is able to play even 50% of plays and TO plays even 80% effective, it will be totally different. And on top of it, Miles Austin learns to catch, he might be a monster WR

I do think we will see a different team on first playoff, but I hope most of the team his healthy though. If not, no matter how hard they play, it might be hard for cowboys to win.

 

[Joe a Cowboys fan]

"overrated legend" coach

You never watched any of those games in Gibbs first head coaching job with the Skinz did you? Some were epic games. Old Joe deserves being in the Hall of Fame. I do not give the Skinz any credit they don't deserve but what you have said is foolish at the least and BS at the worst.

 

[Joe a Cowboys fan]

Nice post wayne.

 

[TNCowboy]

Hate to disappoint you, but reread the post...we played without our starting center or our best WR. We played without our best CB and our starting NT, forcing us to play a DE at Nose for the first time all year. Romo missed an easy run in for a TD when he tried to force the pass to Witten. Austin missed an easy TD catch in the first half and another in the 2nd half. We started pulling defensive players before the offense, but midway in the 3rd quarter Kozier was the only starting OL in the game with Brad Johnson.

But even if we'd played our "healthy" starters the entire game, we had no chance against a divisional opponent who knows us that well when we played vanilla on both sides of the ball...it's not like coaches or players wanted to lose, but our players and coaches did not approach the game the way the Commanders did...they looked faster than us because they were playing with more intensity and focus. Even when the game was still within reach and Romo was in the game, we weren't going to do anything fancy and let both Washington and other playoff teams see anything other than the same old stuff.

I guarantee you the coaches will say that Washington did some things, made some adjustments against us from the first meeting...I'll guarantee you we did not because it would be stupid to do that in the name of winning a game that meant nothing instead of holding back any adjustments or new wrinkles for the playoffs.

Our players were not fired up, and they were basically playing with one arm tied behind their backs...that's why the other playoff teams with nothing to play for also lost, and most of them lost to teams that aren't even going into the playoffs.

Relax...it means nothing, and if you actually thought we'd beat the Commanders just by showing up, I'm sorry you were disappointed, but that was predictable.

If we don't spank our first playoff opponent, you can feel free to call me on it.

I hope you're right. I hope they can flip a switch.

If injuries and a vanilla game plan were the reason for today's embarrassment, what was the reason for the Philly game? The mediocre performance last week? Needing a miracle against a pathetic Detroit team?

Looking around the league today, I don't see any other playoff teams that had nothing to play for who were put to shame the way Dallas was. Jacksonville played poorly, but they sat several starters, including their QB.

 

[CowboyWay]

Looking around the league today, I don't see any other playoff teams that had nothing to play for who were put to shame the way Dallas was.

You didn't look very hard.

Tampa got beat by Carolina
Seattle got beat by Atlanta

Neither team had a thing to play for today.

 

[TNCowboy]

You didn't look very hard.

Tampa got beat by Carolina
Seattle got beat by Atlanta

Neither team had a thing to play for today.

Look again. Neither team was blown out with their starters in the game.

 

[newlander]

Not that it's any of your business, but I watched LOTS of the games that smug ******* coached. But if you can keep up with the conversation, I was insinuating he is overrated NOW. One surge at the end of the season against a bad NFC and Dallas resting a bunch of starters doesn't make him the second coming. If you think so fine, but I think it's more a case of you being pissed about a bad loss today: go sleep it off.

 

[TheHerd]

Look again. Neither team was blown out with their starters in the game.

But neither team played a good team fighting for a playoff spot on the road.

 

[TheSkaven]

You can't look at today's game and make any judgements. The team was missing several key starters and we all know if Owens and Newman alone were on the field today, the outcome likely would have been different.

Having said that, you can look at this team's body of work since the Philadelphia game and there is good reason to worry. They are simply not playing the same way they were at the beginning of the season. They are not scoring as many points in the second half, and teams are finding ways to contain Romo in the pocket. Our running game has also been stymied.

For me, it's about the divisional round of the playoffs. I feel strongly that this team can take care of either the Seahawks or the Packers in the championship game. But facing either NFC East opponent will be one heck of a battle - we know each other inside and out and they will give us all that we can handle in the divisional round. Hope for a Tampa victory?