This is starting to feel like....

[Juke99]

the late 60's all over again.

Two losses to Green Bay in the championship games set the tone for what was to follow. In the losses to the Packers, one could make an argument that the Packers were the better team. I personally think the Cowboys simply didn't know how to win in spite of being the better team.

The last drive in the Ice Bowl as exactly like the late game collapses we've seen from this team recently.

After the Ice Bowl, the Cowboys met a CLEARLY inferior Cleveland team the next two years in the playoffs...While Don Meredith took a lot of heat for those losses, in fact, they were total team collapses. The ball seemed to bounce the wrong way, bad breaks, bad plays at the worst times, etc. Hamlin's non fumble recovery vs the Ravens...Romo's botched snap vs the Seahawks...the last few minutes vs the Steelers...the long runs by the Ravens at the end of the game...all remind me of the team from the late 60's that wore the nickname "Next Year's Champions"

Then came the loss to the Colts in the super bowl with just about EVERY break going against the Cowboys...tipped balls for TD's...tipped ball at the end of the game that resulted in an INT..Duane Thomas' fumble at the goal line...etc.

Those teams were known as chokers. Plain and simple.

That same bad karma returned in the super bowls vs the Steelers...Jackie Smith...Randy White fumbling a kick off return that wasn't supposed to be a squib kick but Gerela slipped...Charlie Waters being screened by the official...Fred Swearning's AWFUL pass interference call vs Bennie Barnes...

One guy and one guy alone pulled willed those teams to victory...or at least to gutsy "Never say die" comebacks that fell just short...his name is Roger Staubach.

The difference was that those teams didn't choke...they simply had bad breaks go against them...But they were tough tough losses.

This stuff of the last few years reminds me of those past Cowboy teams who could never win the big game.

I'm wondering what is going to turn this franchise around.

Your thoughts?

 

[Chief]

I'm wondering what is going to turn this franchise around.

"I don't know, but just make sure I get the credit."

 

[Dave_in-NC]

"I don't know, but just make sure I get the credit."

 

[Juke99]

"I don't know, but just make sure I get the credit."

Ya know, there is something disturbing (but appropriate) about linking the "turn around" comment with that picture of Jerry and his very extended finger.

 

[lurkercowboy]

Well when a team is so successful as Dallas has been over the years, and they cannot win the Super Bowl every year, there will be a lot of close calls and missed chances. Look at how close the Cowboys came to having ten Super Bowls or even more if not for a few plays here and there. Not to mention many more playoff victories.

Some examples:

The Ice Bowl
The fumble recovery in Super Bowl V
The two Steeler Super Bowls lost by a combined 8 points
Billy Waddy
The catch
That darned tipped pass in the 1982 NFL championship
The early turnovers in the 1994 NFC championship game
Irvin's injury early in the 1996 playoffs versus Carolina
Romo's fumbled snap versus Seattle

And so on. The point is that any successful team over the years will accumulate a string of what-if scenarios.

 

[YosemiteSam]

For a franchise to "turn it around", there has to be a change in mentality. These guys aren't on the same page. Guys take plays off or aren't paying attention sometimes and not getting the snap count.

As you noted, a team has to will itself to win. For that to happen, everyone has to go 100% on every play. We all know that doesn't happen and hasn't happen at any time during this season. TO, Roy Williams, Flozell Adams, to name a few. They've all taken plays off this season.

Until they decide as a team to take on the "refuse to lose" mentality, they won't turn it around. It was players like Roger and Randy White who brought it in the 70s. It was Troy, Irvin, Emmitt, and Jimmy Johnson who brought the mentality in the 90s.

I don't know of a single person on the team today who has that mentality. As I noted before, the closest I know of would be Zach Thomas.

 

[Chief]

Until they decide as a team to take on the "refuse to lose" mentality, they won't turn it around. It was players like Roger and Randy White who brought it in the 70s. It was Troy, Irvin, Emmitt, and Jimmy Johnson who brought the mentality in the 90s.

I agree. That's definitely missing.

 

[Juke99]

Well when a team is so successful as Dallas has been over the years, and they cannot win the Super Bowl every year, there will be a lot of close calls and missed chances. Look at how close the Cowboys came to having ten Super Bowls or even more if not for a few plays here and there. Not to mention many more playoff victories.

Some examples:

The Ice Bowl
The fumble recovery in Super Bowl V
The two Steeler Super Bowls lost by a combined 8 points
Billy Waddy
The catch
That darned tipped pass in the 1982 NFL championship
The early turnovers in the 1994 NFC championship game
Irvin's injury early in the 1996 playoffs versus Carolina
Romo's fumbled snap versus Seattle

And so on. The point is that any successful team over the years will accumulate a string of what-if scenarios.

While I agree with what you've posted her, that's not what I was alluding to.

The late 60's teams were known as the team that couldnt win the big game. That's the difference between what you've stated above and my perspective. Sure, teams have tough losses....but they aren't identified as the choke team...the team that can't win the big game.

Those teams in the late 60's always found a way to lose....just like this one.

 

[Doomsday101]

The more times you get yourself into post season the more opportunities you have to do something once you are there. That is a similarity I saw with the early Cowboys who became known as loveable chokers until they went out and won it all. Best thing this team can do is stop thinking about tomorrow and just deal with today.

 

[InmanRoshi]

It's hard to blame too much on "bad breaks" when you're leading the NFL in penalties.

The Cowboys of the late 60's may have been unlucky, but they weren't undisciplined. Until this team stops playing sloppy and careless football it will be hard to string together the 3-4 tough wins necessary to go through the road to the Superbowl. You can get away with it against the teams you simply outclass in talent (sometimes), but not in the playoffs.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

While I agree with what you've posted her, that's not what I was alluding to.

The late 60's teams were known as the team that couldnt win the big game. That's the difference between what you've stated above and my perspective. Sure, teams have tough losses....but they aren't identified as the choke team...the team that can't win the big game.

Those teams in the late 60's always found a way to lose....just like this one.

Roger arrived as the starter in '71. The losses to the Steelers in the '70s were simply losses to a better team, even though we could have won those games if not for some of those crazy plays you described.

As for today, we must have a HC who will come in and by his mere presence DEMAND the respect of this team. I want to believe Romo can lead this team, but the fact is Romo is simply not the leader a guy like Philip Rivers is for his team.

 

[Juke99]

It's hard to blame too much on "bad breaks" when you're leading the NFL in penalties.

The Cowboys of the late 60's may have been unlucky, but they weren't undisciplined. Until this team stops playing sloppy and careless football it will be hard to string together the 3-4 tough wins necessary to go to a Superbowl.

You focused on the smallest part of my comment, the bad breaks.
My point about bad breaks btw is, bad teams get bad breaks...and don't recover from them because they have a loser mentality

Btw, the 1968 Playoff game vs the Browns saw the Cowboy QB's throw 4 interceptions with one being returned for a TD. That's pretty careless.

The following year, vs the same Browns team saw the Cowboy qb's throw for 2 ints, one being returned for a TD. Careless also.

And vs the Colts in the SB, they were careless and sloppy.

My point is, they choked. Doesn't matter how they choked, they choked...bad calls, bad breaks, carless football, critical mistakes at the wrong time...this team, for the past 4 years, does exactly what those teams did back in the 60's.