The Best Playoff Choke Theory Yet

[Buzzbait]

I think every team is always going to go out and attempt to dominate and demoralize the opposing team. It has nothing to do with choking. Any body can beat any body any given Sunday but there are times when one team is just better than the other and usually that team will win. The Cowboys are not the best team in the league. Sometimes they will get dominated.

Which is just what happened against GB, they got dominated. Our offense got dominated and our defense got dominated. It was ugly.

 

[Chasing6]

Which is just what happened against GB, they got dominated. Our offense got dominated and our defense got dominated. It was ugly.

We are as soft like an 80 year Owner.

 

[Buzzbait]

Why we choke:

1. Poor DT play
2. Poor run play designs.

If a team chokes, there are reasons, can't just tell your team "they'll choke", that's silly.

Exactly. Our DTs couldn't have stopped their Grandmother, and GB receivers were getting W-I-D-E open on a regular basis.

 

[kskboys]

The hard and fast approach works with the Cowboys, but the prior years against SF the defense stepped up and played winning football. The offense let them down and the offense going missing in big games has been a pretty consistent theme. Don't look at the score sheet, look at the drives - it tells a very different story.

Sure, but the point is, there are always weaknesses in any Jerry built team. Jerry simply doesn't understand what it takes to win playoff football.

 

[kskboys]

We are soft. Hopefully this last draft is an indication that we recognize it and have made changes.

Sure looks that way. I mean, these guys are tough for sure, now we just need to find out if they can play football at an NFL level.

 

[RonWashington]

Dalton Schultz said Houston was a football atmosphere where as Dallas had all the distractions built in starting at the top with ownership . Something to me says that about Pittsburgh KC SF Baltimore to name a few seem more football oriented then Jerry’s world.

I’m happy thus far that neither the HC or QB have been extended .

 

[TheCritic]

That makes no sense making the Cowboys some kind of target for this literally this should be every coach is including our own against any opponent especially in the playoffs but this should be a game plan every week right hit him in the mouth get up early demoralize them take over in the second-half win the game only need to win by one blah blah blah come on dude some of these things are just so ridiculous that it's always seems to be pointed at the Cowboys when it could be any team in the league.... This should be everyone's game plan. Every regular season game and then emphasized in the playoffs literally against anyone by any team it should literally be the number one most preached thing in any sport...

Listen BOY!!!!! You better stop rambling and close your mouth and open your ears BOY!!!!! And don't get smart with me!!!

 

[KMY_Amber]

Why we choke:

1. Poor DT play
2. Poor run play designs.

If a team chokes, there are reasons, can't just tell your team "they'll choke", that's silly.

100% agree, I lay most of this at the feet of all the coaches...

 

[plasticman]

The greatest difference between teams that do well in the playoffs and teams that do not do well is team culture, specifically that part of team culture that respond to the postseason.

On the great playoff teams now and in the past, it is like the military increasing their readiness posture in the event of a possible conflict. All leaves are cancelled. The military bases are closed to non-military personnel. Information becomes more guarded. Discipline is enforced more harshly.

Players don't spend time between playoff games on some tropical beach. They are taking care of their bodies, studying film and perfecting their gameplan.

Every member of that franchise, from owner to laundry guy, is singularly focused on their next game. They are not messing with podcasts, promoting their brand, or making themselves available for extracurricular engagements or special guest appearances. They do the PR that they are required according to NFL policy, but they don't want unnecessary distraction.

I say this in the general sense. There are always those few that can't control their narcissism.

This focus has to come from the top, typically the HC or even the GM. We saw this with the Landry teams of the 70's. We saw this with the Jimmy Johnson teams in the early 90's.

The problem is this culture is the polar opposite of Jerry Jones's mentality. He has to break players concentration with ridiculous circus acts. He has to put on a show that forces the players to entertain rather than prepare.

Both Jerry and his teams have underestimated the intensity that other team exhibit in playoff games against the Cowboys. When it is the playoffs other teams demonstrate that "do-or-die", "every play is critical" attitude. The Cowboys don't even realize they are supposed to do the same.

In almost every playoff loss, the other team jumps out to a two score lead in the first half as the Cowboys appear to be in shock. It looks like a college team playing against a junior high school, very demoralizing. With the exception of some late game heroics, the playoff game is over after the first drive in the 3rd quarter.

Often, the Cowboys do worse than choke. They don't show up and are forced to catch up just for the opportunity to choke. I don't think they are nervous when the game is on the line, I think they are exhausted from having to expend additional energy to compensate for the slow start. They have nothing left in the critical final minutes of the game.

 

[blueblood70]

Listen BOY!!!!! You better stop rambling and close your mouth and open your ears BOY!!!!! And don't get smart with me!!!

sorry i dont cave to threats.. Some people don't like listening to the truth they like to start new posts that are longer than the hypocritical replies that mine are too long.. Some people just need to read their own headlines...hmm those are all facts people game plan every single team that same way is how the team responds is what's important but when you have a handful of players that are not showing up and creating a mess for the rest of them that typically get blamed well if fans choose to see it from that angle we know what kind of fans you are....

Hatas

 

[shabazz]

It seems that every Cowboys playoff choke theory centers around the idea that the Cowboys are doing something wrong. But don't other teams have something to do with it?

I mean if you were the other team's HC, I would be preaching all week to the team "The Cowboys are going to choke. Everybody knows that. So let's go hit them in the mouth as hard and fast as possible so they can start doubting themselves right away"

Wouldn't you do the same?

Literally any HC of a playoff team that we are playing merely needs to watch one game to gameplan against us.

The Cardinals game.

This very pedestrian team frustrated our offense to just 16 points and their running game shredded our D

 

[kskboys]

100% agree, I lay most of this at the feet of all the coaches...

And even moreso on the GM, who not only is in charge of hiring the coaches, but also is in charge of team building. Constantly leaving a weakness at DT and S derails us every year, w/ mostly pathetic attempts to remedy this.

 

[DandyDon52]

Why we choke:

1. Poor DT play
2. Poor run play designs.

If a team chokes, there are reasons, can't just tell your team "they'll choke", that's silly.

ksk, that is not a choke but just flaws in the team that hinder the team.

to me choke, is when you have the ability to win and few flaws, but then choke and play poorly, or coach poorly just due to being nervous.

these would hinder play in all games played wouldnt they?
1. Poor DT play- been a problem for long time thats on jones boys

2. Poor run play designs.- been a problem thru last 2 coaches, except linehan's 1st year and they had good line and murray.
They got rid of murray, and it fell apart.

 

[DandyDon52]

Sure, but the point is, there are always weaknesses in any Jerry built team. Jerry simply doesn't understand what it takes to win playoff football.

I agree, they always leave holes somewhere, and the weak coaches make it hard to win in playoffs, where coaching can be more important.
Jerry wont ever get it lol, if he hasnt by now he never will.

 

[SultanOfSix]

Any coach that preaches that is a fool. Fosters over confidence and arrogance. Better cover all your bases, be prepared and focused on your responsibilities.

“We will win the ball game. You can put it in three inch headlines.”

 

[Ranching]

“We will win the ball game. You can put it in three inch headlines.”

That's a lot different than the topic. That's coach talk. I bet Jimmy prepared them, coached them and worked their butts off. That's all part of the coaches psychology...it's not the gameplan.

 

[SultanOfSix]

That's a lot different than the topic. That's coach talk. I bet Jimmy prepared them, coached them and worked their butts off. That's all part of the coaches psychology...it's not the gameplan.

Of course he prepared them. That’s a coach’s job. You don’t just send out a team unprepared. The point is good coaches know which buttons to push and how to instill confidence in their team, whether that is talking up their own team or diminishing the other.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

The hard and fast approach works with the Cowboys, but the prior years against SF the defense stepped up and played winning football. The offense let them down and the offense going missing in big games has been a pretty consistent theme. Don't look at the score sheet, look at the drives - it tells a very different story.

They call it offense and defense for a reason. If our defense gets on their heels defending...does our offense go on the offensive?

No...they fold up,and some "experts" blame the defense for it.

No better way to help our defense than get tough, be offensive...and shove it down their throat. Or at the very least maintain some dignity about it!

 

[Chuck 54]

In recent playoff exits vs SF and GB, our players didn’t choke; they were simply dominated. It’s not complicated.
Your defense is not physical and can only rush the QB. Teams that ran the ball dominated us in the regular season too. Dan Quinn didn’t have the personnel or scheme to stop the run. That causes the defense to use the secondary to help and opens them to big pass plays. On offense, we couldn’t run the ball, at all. Against SF and GB, we couldn’t even run vs 6 man boxes. Detroit is probably the only team with both a top running game and a decent defense that we beat all year.

This has been going on for years. While fans have begged for better DL and LBs to stop the run and begged for a RB the past few years, along with a more physical OL, the team has run out and glamorized the pass rush and the passing game. Then along come the playoffs, and everyone is surprised when a physical team that runs and stops the run defeats us. Nothing has changed going back to Romo’s years.

You have to go back to 2007 and the famous CABO trip prior to the playoff game to find an actual choke job. The Cowboys had an excellent OL (Flozel Adams, Kyle Kozier, Andre Gurode, Leonard Davis and Marc Colombo), along with TO and Whiten, but the RB was Julius Jones. Romo completed less than half his passes vs the Giants. On defense, we had studs like Canty, Spears, Ratliff, Ware, Greg Ellis, Bradie James, Terrance Newman and Roy Williams. We were the number 1 seed and lost. It was a choke job because that team had few weaknesses, but we did run into a late blooming Giants team who went on to win the SB as the low wild card team.

Compare that team to this one.

 

[Jarv]

Cowboys are soft football team. GM Jethro has built the team outside in. Then he is shocked when we get manhandled in the playoffs.

Jimmy and the Big Tuna were the last coaches that had any authority over the players. Lacking that you will have a soft team where no one is held accountable, especially the FO personnel who are either relatives' or friends.