News: ST: Cowboys coach Jason Garrett explains clock management decisions at end of Commanders game

[TheCount]

what we wanted to do was play football at that point. We felt like they were going to play football. One of the reasons we thought they were going to play football is they had some success in short-yardage situations earlier. Sometimes, when you get in that mode, ‘Ok make the first but don’t score,’ what happens is you don’t come off the ball, you don’t make the first. So what we wanted to do, given what we thought they would do to try to play defense, we wanted to come off and have our best football play.

Who knew they were playing football?

Holy crap, I read your post before clicking through to the link. I thought you were joking around, but this is actually a quote.

 

[movaughn88]

I like Garrett. Yes, he sounds like a slow farmhand talking to the firewood delivery boy in his media quotes, but I'm quite sure that's intentional. If he talked like that to the team they wouldn't like him. I've spoken with him numerous times in person and he's the kind of guy even you diehard haters would love to have a beer with. I really don't care what he says in pressers. He can tell the media that Beezelbub the queen cat of Mars told him to end the game like that for all I care.

It's either this or Belichick saying "we chose our best option at the time" 7 times in a row. I don't know what's better?

His team didn't handle the end of the game well, which is on him. They won, but they could have easily lost. He made mistakes, just like all coaches do. Most criticizing him right now wanted him to screw this up anyway, so I'm not sure what people want.

I guess he could pull out a short sword and kneel down on the press stand and commit Seppuku. Short of that I don't think his critics will be happy.

 

[plasticman]

We are at the point in NFL history where a Head Coach has to explain the poor decisions that lead to a TD?

By the way, did anyone realize it was the first rushing TD for the Cowboys this season in a second half? LOL, but they are just brimming with confiidence that they can run the clock down and kick the winning FG? With a RB that had already fumbled the ball twice? I mean, every additional single offensive play was just another opportunity to do something bizarre that would cost us the game.

Take theTD! Worse case scenario, the Commanders tie and the game goes into overtime.

Run the clock down? Worse case scenario, we never get the opportunity to kick a field goal after another stupid turnover or the kick is blocked, like it was in the 2006 Commanders game that was tied with 6 seconds left...or the Cardinal game in 2014 or the Bears game in 2007 with the ball on the 5 yard line.

As for Jerry Jones, recall his public disappointment at the news that Parcells had benched Bledsoe in 2006 in favor of starting Tony Romo...... "I hadn't thought or hoped that we'd be sitting here after the sixth game making these adjustments. ... I did not want to this year go to an inexperienced quarterback. I wanted to have the benefit of Drew Bledsoe. It hasn't worked out as of today. It just hasn't worked out. That to me is a step back."

That's all you need to know about the value of Jones's opinions.

 

[Coy]

It was dumb, period.

After the dumb play by Mcfadden, get a yard for the first down, fall down, kneel 3 times and kick a 20 yard fg to win the game.

 

[AbeBeta]

Didn't care as much about the clock issues as I did the calls on the goal line situation set up by the Dez catch. That was inexcusable for me. You gotta give Dez another shot since you almost had him on first down if not for the deflection.

So tired if this.

Didn't work = inexcusable.

Lotsa stuff don't work with a crap QB

 

[robjay04]

So tired if this.

Didn't work = inexcusable.

Lotsa stuff don't work with a crap QB

Well at least be a little more creative.

Many teams have crap quarterbacks and get by better than we have.

 

[jazzcat22]

I swear many of you hate everything and anything, especially about Garret, but with the team too.
He explained it. They had 2 times outs left, they kick a FG, there would still be time,on the clock.
It wasn't like McFadden went out of bounds on purpose.
You take the TD with the way the Defense was playing, normally they don't get the long kick return, but then the stupid penalty put the Commanders in position to run plays they normally wouldn't have run.

If they take the FG, then Redskms drive down the field and gets a TD. You all would be whining why didn't they go for the TD.

 

[Kevinicus]

We are at the point in NFL history where a Head Coach has to explain the poor decisions that lead to a TD?

By the way, did anyone realize it was the first rushing TD for the Cowboys this season in a second half? LOL, but they are just brimming with confiidence that they can run the clock down and kick the winning FG? With a RB that had already fumbled the ball twice? I mean, every additional single offensive play was just another opportunity to do something bizarre that would cost us the game.

Take theTD! Worse case scenario, the Commanders tie and the game goes into overtime.

Run the clock down? Worse case scenario, we never get the opportunity to kick a field goal after another stupid turnover or the kick is blocked, like it was in the 2006 Commanders game that was tied with 6 seconds left...or the Cardinal game in 2014 or the Bears game in 2007 with the ball on the 5 yard line.

As for Jerry Jones, recall his public disappointment at the news that Parcells had benched Bledsoe in 2006 in favor of starting Tony Romo...... "I hadn't thought or hoped that we'd be sitting here after the sixth game making these adjustments. ... I did not want to this year go to an inexperienced quarterback. I wanted to have the benefit of Drew Bledsoe. It hasn't worked out as of today. It just hasn't worked out. That to me is a step back."

That's all you need to know about the value of Jones's opinions.

You don't make decisions based on worst case scenarios that are extremely unlikely. The worst case scenario of scoring the TD is also a loss, and it is a far more likely to occur than losing had he gone down after getting the first.

 

[Kevinicus]

I swear many of you hate everything and anything, especially about Garret, but with the team too.
He explained it. They had 2 times outs left, they kick a FG, there would still be time,on the clock.
It wasn't like McFadden went out of bounds on purpose.
You take the TD with the way the Defense was playing, normally they don't get the long kick return, but then the stupid penalty put the Commanders in position to run plays they normally wouldn't have run.

If they take the FG, then Redskms drive down the field and gets a TD. You all would be whining why didn't they go for the TD.

If he manages the time right, the fg is the final play. There's not even a kickoff.

 

[Super_Kazuya]

If he manages the time right, the fg is the final play. There's not even a kickoff.

Only if you blame him for not having remote control of McFadden. Otherwise, there is no way there's a game-ending FG.

 

[Coy]

I swear many of you hate everything and anything, especially about Garret, but with the team too.
He explained it. They had 2 times outs left, they kick a FG, there would still be time,on the clock.
It wasn't like McFadden went out of bounds on purpose.
You take the TD with the way the Defense was playing, normally they don't get the long kick return, but then the stupid penalty put the Commanders in position to run plays they normally wouldn't have run.

If they take the FG, then Redskms drive down the field and gets a TD. You all would be whining why didn't they go for the TD.

Not true, if they get the first down (1 yard) and NOT score, they kneel 3 times, kick the fg and win the game.

 

[Kevinicus]

Only if you blame him for not having remote control of McFadden. Otherwise, there is no way there's a game-ending FG.

I blame him for not having his team prepared/conditioned for situations. But I believe if given the choice he would make the wrong one. It's not difficult to tell the players a first down is better than the TD.

 

[Super_Kazuya]

Not true, if they get the first down (1 yard) and NOT score, they kneel 3 times, kick the fg and win the game.

Nope, they had 2 timeouts. McFadden was pushed out of bounds with 1:26.

 

[tecolote]

I like Garrett. Yes, he sounds like a slow farmhand talking to the firewood delivery boy in his media quotes, but I'm quite sure that's intentional. If he talked like that to the team they wouldn't like him. I've spoken with him numerous times in person and he's the kind of guy even you diehard haters would love to have a beer with. I really don't care what he says in pressers. He can tell the media that Beezelbub the queen cat of Mars told him to end the game like that for all I care.

It's either this or Belichick saying "we chose our best option at the time" 7 times in a row. I don't know what's better?

His team didn't handle the end of the game well, which is on him. They won, but they could have easily lost. He made mistakes, just like all coaches do. Most criticizing him right now wanted him to screw this up anyway, so I'm not sure what people want.

I guess he could pull out a short sword and kneel down on the press stand and commit Seppuku. Short of that I don't think his critics will be happy.

I'm sure Jason is a nice guy but I would take Belichick making fart noises with his mouth for the entire length of the press conference over him.

 

[Tenkamenin]

Agreed. And, even if you don't target Dez again, at least run out of a 3 WR set. Give the defense something to think about other than "I got this". Those runs were so predictable that my 7 year old nephew knew they were coming. That's my problem with Garrett. He relies too much on his players to over power rather than forcing the defense to make a decision. The game is about creating mismatches. All too often Garrett gives the defense the advantage by taking the guess work out of the equation.

Agreed, why not run a fake jet sweep to Lucky and try our chances with Dez on a lob or Witten over the middle. As you said our offense is too predictable!

 

[Kevinicus]

Nope, they had 2 timeouts. McFadden was pushed out of bounds with 1:26.

Nope. First down on 2nd down burns 1 TO. The last is burned after the 1st down kneel. 2nd amd 3rd down kneels burn the clock.

 

[Wayne02]

I swear many of you hate everything and anything, especially about Garret, but with the team too.
He explained it. They had 2 times outs left, they kick a FG, there would still be time,on the clock.
It wasn't like McFadden went out of bounds on purpose.
You take the TD with the way the Defense was playing, normally they don't get the long kick return, but then the stupid penalty put the Commanders in position to run plays they normally wouldn't have run.

If they take the FG, then Redskms drive down the field and gets a TD. You all would be whining why didn't they go for the TD.

It sounds like you didn't understand what he was saying. He said that he would have liked to bleed the clock once McFadden picked up the yard for the 1st down. Once McFadden picked up the 1st he should've went down. The Skins would've had like 12 seconds left after Bailey kicks the chip shot game winner. The end.

 

[Wayne02]

Only if you blame him for not having remote control of McFadden. Otherwise, there is no way there's a game-ending FG.

15 seconds left at best.

 

[Coy]

Nope, they had 2 timeouts. McFadden was pushed out of bounds with 1:26.

I think it was 1:14 but either way, after that play, it's a 2nd and 1, run a play get a 1st down, fall down, Commanders call a TO, it goes down to 1:09? So it's a first down at the 4 yard line with the Commanders having 1 TO left.
Cowboys kneel down, Commanders call their last TO with around 1:05?
They kneel down on 2nd down, it goes down to 25 or so seconds, kneel down on third down and call a TO with 3 seconds left and kick the game winning FG.

 

[TheDude]

Nope. First down on 2nd down burns 1 TO. The last is burned after the 1st down kneel. 2nd amd 3rd down kneels burn the clock.

God there some real Baghdad Bobs here