NewsBot
New Member
- Messages
- 111,281
- Reaction score
- 2,947
IRVING – Giving up his play-calling duties in the offseason was supposed to make Cowboys coach Jason Garrett a better game-manager.
But there was Garrett in the second quarter of Sunday’s 30-21 loss at San Diego making a questionable decision involving kicker Dan Bailey.
With the score knotted at 7-7, Garrett brought Bailey onto the field to attempt a field goal from 56 yards away. His kick was long enough but wide left, leaving Philip Rivers with a short field.
Six plays later, Nick Novak kicked a 36-yard field goal to give San Diego a 10-7 lead with 5:11 left in the first half.
“Well, we had the wind,” Garrett said when asked about the decision after the game. “We had a lot of confidence in Dan Bailey. We felt like we were really close to his range to be able to make that kick. I think he got it there. He just missed it a little bit left. That’s always an aggressive decision, but we felt like it was important to try to take advantage of an opportunity with one of the best players we have.”
Bailey made kicks from 51 and 53 yards away in Week 2 at Kansas City, so there is that. But the Cowboys weren’t facing a red-hot quarterback like Rivers that day. No knock against Alex Smith, but Rivers would be the talk of the NFL if not for Peyton Manning. Giving him a short field was basically handing the Chargers a score.
Continue reading...
But there was Garrett in the second quarter of Sunday’s 30-21 loss at San Diego making a questionable decision involving kicker Dan Bailey.
With the score knotted at 7-7, Garrett brought Bailey onto the field to attempt a field goal from 56 yards away. His kick was long enough but wide left, leaving Philip Rivers with a short field.
Six plays later, Nick Novak kicked a 36-yard field goal to give San Diego a 10-7 lead with 5:11 left in the first half.
“Well, we had the wind,” Garrett said when asked about the decision after the game. “We had a lot of confidence in Dan Bailey. We felt like we were really close to his range to be able to make that kick. I think he got it there. He just missed it a little bit left. That’s always an aggressive decision, but we felt like it was important to try to take advantage of an opportunity with one of the best players we have.”
Bailey made kicks from 51 and 53 yards away in Week 2 at Kansas City, so there is that. But the Cowboys weren’t facing a red-hot quarterback like Rivers that day. No knock against Alex Smith, but Rivers would be the talk of the NFL if not for Peyton Manning. Giving him a short field was basically handing the Chargers a score.
Continue reading...