Ozzu;3719149 said:
The smiling thing doesn't bother me. I have the same problem. If I screw up or am put in an uncomfortable situation, I smile. It's not because I don't care or I'm just laughing it off, but that's how I naturally react.
I guarantee you he feels terrible.
I agree. I know he's upset. I saw his interview.
It's frustrating, because it is such a
fundamental play to protect the ball in that situation. Put the football in your gut (tuck it and cover it up with your free hand), put two hands on it, get low or down or both. Williams fumbled a big one in the Green Bay game last year. That was a game changing play.
You have to finish plays like
Alvin Harper did in 1992. If the 49ers would have got the ball back in 1992, Dallas would have been in deep trouble. You have to finish that play and get at least a FG out of that drive. That was a championship caliber game today, and the Saints should have been beaten right there. Instead of Dallas not running another snap until
2:23 and getting to the 2 minute warning, your defense is back on the field, with 3:03 left to play. The Saints were tiring on defense, and victory was right there for Dallas. Dallas was putting the ball in the end-zone in the second half.
Dallas literally lost a chance at a point blank kill shot when that ball was raked out.
I think Williams covered it up with his other hand at one point, but for some reason, he went back to carrying it with one hand. It was a costly mistake. When Williams tried to get his off hand back on the ball, it was too late.
This loss will never be forgotten. Players only play so long....You only get so many shots at these classic games on Thanksgiving. This was a defacto playoff game for Dallas, imo. Dallas isn't going to be in the playoffs this year. The Saints are. Cowboys fans are used to winning...They don't mind losing if the other team deserves to win, but just fumbling a game away like that is deflating. I don't know how the team recovers, honestly. I'm sure they will play hard, but this one is going to sting. It was a straight up give away. I'd put this loss right up there with the 1993 Thanksgiving Day Game where
Leon Lett gave the game away. That team went on to win the Super Bowl. This team must face
Peyton Manning on the road and is going no where.
Losing to Payton when you have him beat is tough to swallow, especially the way his Saints destroyed Dallas in 2006...Taking a knee on Parcells instead of just running the ball with significant time left in the game....I have not forgotten that...Today was a bitter, bitter, bitter defeat.