Three reasons the Cowboys lost that haven't had as much press

[BoysFan4ever]

This is not a sarcastic post, this is a legit question. I agree with your above statement.
Now, who do we blame?

Players & coaches interchangeably.

Pick your poison.

Tony at the line of scrimmage is a joke. I guess he's audibling but it just looks like mass confusion. Don't they practice this stuff? It's not a strength of his game so why put him in that position? It's not really his fault.

I admit I'm not real smart as a fan about clock management but million dollar coaches should be. THey should have that down to an art. Ok if THIS happens we do this. That kind of thing.

When the Broncos were here I posted that offensively he was smarter than our coaches. I still believe that.

 

[WV Cowboy]

This video addresses my main complaint.

If Romo fakes that handoff, and Williams ziggs in and then out towards the sideline, .. he is open for the first down.

But I always know we will run three times and kick in that situation.
We are always so scared, that we crap our pants and give the game away, instead of manning up and going out there and just TAKE it away from the other team.

WIN IT!, .. don't just try not to lose it.

 

[Picksix]

I know a loss is like the one yesterday is an accumulation of mistakes and bad plays, however, these three bothered me A LOT.

• The defensive line just standing around on the 1 yard line when Stafford lunged for the winning TD. He is quote from PFT on the play "But in the split-second before Lions center Dominic Raiola snapped him the ball, Stafford noticed that the Cowboys’ defensive linemen weren’t getting down into their stances. That made Stafford think if he just lunged forward, he could stick the ball over the goal line before the Cowboys realized it had happened."

This is a tough situation for the DL. With Stafford screaming like crazy that he wanted to clock the ball, his own teammates thought that's what was going to happen. If our DL fires out, and the LBs fly over the line, and the OL doesn't react like that and the QB gets crushed while actually trying to spike the ball, then you risk a personal foul penalty. People bring up the Marino fake spike against the Jets, but the whole fake spike thing almost never happens.

They were talking about this on NFL radio this morning, discussing whether or not there should be a rule change, because when the QB is screaming that he wants to spike it, the DL can't be sure whether to back off, or to bum rush the guy and risk a flag.

 

[Future]

^^^^This is a ridiculous post.

Go on....

 

[Doc50]

This is not a sarcastic post, this is a legit question. I agree with your above statement.
Now, who do we blame?

The head coach.

The strategy, tactics, decision-making under pressure, mindset of the other coaches and team, communication schemes -- it all falls on the HC..

Correct me if I'm wrong, but JG seems to lack the feel for pressured crunch-time decisions. You can see his strategy, but it frequently turns out to be the wrong one. Some coaches have the ability to take charge of the game at these most crucial times; the 'Boys too often are out-coached.

 

[diehard2294]

Anyone have a gif or a link to a shot of that actual penalty? I was so incredulous at the time, and Fox's coverage of the game-turning play so bad, that I didn't even see an isolation of it. How legitimate was the hold? Blatant? Obvious? Sufficient? Ticky-tacky?

Clear as day, he had jersey with both hands , Leary looked like he was holding as well

 

[Tezz]

That pass to Durham was as good as it gets Stafford moved right, quickly reset his feet and fired an absolute rocket across the field to hit Durham in stride before the safety could make a play. Not many QBs could make that play, I cant blame Scandrick for that...

 

[jobberone]

I know a loss is like the one yesterday is an accumulation of mistakes and bad plays, however, these three bothered me A LOT:

• Tyron Smith's holding call was an absolutely bone-heading play that didn't need to happen -- these guys have to keep their wits and understand the situation
• Scandrick getting burned by a journeyman WR like Durham in the last minute for the most critical play of that drive
• The defensive line just standing around on the 1 yard line when Stafford lunged for the winning TD. He is quote from PFT on the play "But in the split-second before Lions center Dominic Raiola snapped him the ball, Stafford noticed that the Cowboys’ defensive linemen weren’t getting down into their stances. That made Stafford think if he just lunged forward, he could stick the ball over the goal line before the Cowboys realized it had happened."

All those were bone headed plays that smart and experienced players don't make. Don't know if you can say poorly disciplined team or not. Maybe.

 

[Staubacher]

This is a tough situation for the DL. With Stafford screaming like crazy that he wanted to clock the ball, his own teammates thought that's what was going to happen. If our DL fires out, and the LBs fly over the line, and the OL doesn't react like that and the QB gets crushed while actually trying to spike the ball, then you risk a personal foul penalty. People bring up the Marino fake spike against the Jets, but the whole fake spike thing almost never happens.

They were talking about this on NFL radio this morning, discussing whether or not there should be a rule change, because when the QB is screaming that he wants to spike it, the DL can't be sure whether to back off, or to bum rush the guy and risk a flag.

A personal foul penalty would have given the Lions first down at the quarter yard line instead of first down at the half yard line. And either way the clock stops if he was really spiking it.

So there was zero reason to not be prepared for a fake spike and a QB sneak or fade pass

 

[Wayne02]

Go on....

Your post was self explanatory. You essentially want the refs to not call blatant holding calls towards the end of the game when they go against the Cowboys. You would have had a valid point if the calls were ticky tack calls, but the Tyron Smith hold was blatant and right in front of the ref, and don't even get me started on the horrific hold that Alex Barron committed in that Washington game.

 

[Picksix]

A personal foul penalty would have given the Lions first down at the quarter yard line instead of first down at the half yard line. And either way the clock stops if he was really spiking it.

So there was zero reason to not be prepared for a fake spike and a QB sneak or fade pass

Well, other than it almost never happens. Plus, it wouldn't just be a penalty. There would be a fine, and possibly a rep like TB's for bum rushing a pile on what is generally considered a give up play. But yeah, I see your point, and DLs should do it anyway, and force the league to address it.

 

[Future]

Your post was self explanatory. You essentially want the refs to not call blatant holding calls towards the end of the game when they go against the Cowboys. You would have had a valid point if the calls were ticky tack calls, but the Tyron Smith hold was blatant and right in front of the ref, and don't even get me started on the horrific hold that Alex Barron committed in that Washington game.

No, I think they shouldn't call them at all...its bigger than the Cowboys, its league-wide. Holding is committed on nearly every play, serious or not. To call one like that and have such a significant impact on the game is a major lack of judgement by the official, whether it is actually a penalty or not.

I might have a broader definition of ticky-tack, but if the on on Tyron isn't marginal, then you could say that Ware/Hatch have been getting held on the majority of pass plays all year. If you aren't going to call those, how can you call one in the last two minutes against Tyron?

 

[Wayne02]

No, I think they shouldn't call them at all...its bigger than the Cowboys, its league-wide. Holding is committed on nearly every play, serious or not. To call one like that and have such a significant impact on the game is a major lack of judgement by the official, whether it is actually a penalty or not.

I might have a broader definition of ticky-tack, but if the on on Tyron isn't marginal, then you could say that Ware/Hatch have been getting held on the majority of pass plays all year. If you aren't going to call those, how can you call one in the last two minutes against Tyron?

The Tyron Smith hold was right in front of the ref, and it actually had an impact on the play. If the defender isn't held by Smith then Tanner wouldn't have picked up the yardage necessary for a FG attempt. Blame Tyron Smith for being a bonehead rather than cry about the officiating.

 

[ConstantReboot]

The head coach.

The strategy, tactics, decision-making under pressure, mindset of the other coaches and team, communication schemes -- it all falls on the HC..

Correct me if I'm wrong, but JG seems to lack the feel for pressured crunch-time decisions. You can see his strategy, but it frequently turns out to be the wrong one. Some coaches have the ability to take charge of the game at these most crucial times; the 'Boys too often are out-coached.

Your correct. I don't think Garrett has a feel for the game. Remember the time when Ryan said to throw the red challenge flag and he looked like a deer in the headlights? Well, that sums up the entirety of what the Garrett coaching strategy is all about. He fails utterly and miserably during crunch time. The game against Detroit was one of his coaching failures. Just like icing the kicker, letting Detroit come back from a 27-3 deficit, allowing the Giants to come back from 3 TDs, and many numerous occasions. He fails during crunch time the most when we need him.

 

[Future]

The Tyron Smith hold was right in front of the ref, and it actually had an impact on the play. If the defender isn't held by Smith then Tanner wouldn't have picked up the yardage necessary for a FG attempt. Blame Tyron Smith for being a bonehead rather than cry about the officiating.

There is no way you can prove that, and it was only what, a 9 yard gain anyways? Bailey had already hit two field goals from 53, which is what he would have attempted anyways. The hold had really no significance on the game. The penalty, however, did.

 

[EPL0c0]

I know a loss is like the one yesterday is an accumulation of mistakes and bad plays, however, these three bothered me A LOT:

• Tyron Smith's holding call was an absolutely bone-heading play that didn't need to happen -- these guys have to keep their wits and understand the situation

Definitely not enough mentioned about this. This was the typical "dumb mistake" that Dallas, for some reason, seems to committ in key moments of the game. If it's not this, it's a false start on short yardage or something like that (not singling out Smith, happens to guys like Free, Witten, etc). There's always a dumb little mistake in a game that you can look at and say "wow, that made a big difference."

• Scandrick getting burned by a journeyman WR like Durham in the last minute for the most critical play of that drive

IMO, Scandrick was beat at the snap. There was a little cushion given up, but the guy ran right by Scandrick and it didn't look like Scandrick didn't think the ball would go there. He probably thought like the rest of us: it's going to Megatron. I just can't see Scandrick getting physically beat by this guy. No way he should get beat by this guy in this situation (or any situation), but on this particular drive. It wasn't a tricky route, he didn't bust his ankles. Simple route and Scandrick was a step behind at the snap.

• The defensive line just standing around on the 1 yard line when Stafford lunged for the winning TD. He is quote from PFT on the play "But in the split-second before Lions center Dominic Raiola snapped him the ball, Stafford noticed that the Cowboys’ defensive linemen weren’t getting down into their stances. That made Stafford think if he just lunged forward, he could stick the ball over the goal line before the Cowboys realized it had happened."

Garrett said it was a gutsy play by Stafford and it was. Glad that Garrett recognizes what guts looks like. But it's the kind of play you rarely expected from a QB. But I think a more critical play was the 3rd and 12 on the 3rd to last drive (starts at ~3:33).

Romo rolls out and looks and looks and looks and looks...throws it out of bounds. That's the kind of play where a QB can/should run w/ the ball and get whatever yards, one or two yards, whatever. Romo should have known that an INC stops the clock and that is NOT a good thing. At that point, ANY yards would have made a big difference, HUGE difference because it would have kept the clock rolling. I like Romo, he's my quarterback (tears in my eyes), but sometimes I wish he would NOT rely on his arm and use his legs instead. He doesn't have to run a 4.2 40, just get 1 or 2 yds, good enough.

 

[Wayne02]

There is no way you can prove that, and it was only what, a 9 yard gain anyways? Bailey had already hit two field goals from 53, which is what he would have attempted anyways. The hold had really no significance on the game. The penalty, however, did.

I don't think Garrett would have sent the FG unit out there in that situation because the clock would have been on the Cowboys side. I know Bailey had already made 2 53 yard fg's earlier, but if he misses that FG, then you give the Lions great field position with 25 seconds or so to kick the game tying FG. Again, blame Smith for being a bonehead, not the refs for making the correct call.

 

[WV Cowboy]

Talking about typical "dumb mistakes", .. have we seen any jumping offsides on the defense since Ware is sitting out?

 

[ConstantReboot]

Definitely not enough mentioned about this. This was the typical "dumb mistake" that Dallas, for some reason, seems to committ in key moments of the game. If it's not this, it's a false start on short yardage or something like that (not singling out Smith, happens to guys like Free, Witten, etc). There's always a dumb little mistake in a game that you can look at and say "wow, that made a big difference."

IMO, Scandrick was beat at the snap. There was a little cushion given up, but the guy ran right by Scandrick and it didn't look like Scandrick didn't think the ball would go there. He probably thought like the rest of us: it's going to Megatron. I just can't see Scandrick getting physically beat by this guy. No way he should get beat by this guy in this situation (or any situation), but on this particular drive. It wasn't a tricky route, he didn't bust his ankles. Simple route and Scandrick was a step behind at the snap.

Garrett said it was a gutsy play by Stafford and it was. Glad that Garrett recognizes what guts looks like. But it's the kind of play you rarely expected from a QB. But I think a more critical play was the 3rd and 12 on the 3rd to last drive (starts at ~3:33).

Romo rolls out and looks and looks and looks and looks...throws it out of bounds. That's the kind of play where a QB can/should run w/ the ball and get whatever yards, one or two yards, whatever. Romo should have known that an INC stops the clock and that is NOT a good thing. At that point, ANY yards would have made a big difference, HUGE difference because it would have kept the clock rolling. I like Romo, he's my quarterback (tears in my eyes), but sometimes I wish he would NOT rely on his arm and use his legs instead. He doesn't have to run a 4.2 40, just get 1 or 2 yds, good enough.

I don't think Garrett would have sent the FG unit out there in that situation because the clock would have been on the Cowboys side. I know Bailey had already made 2 53 yard fg's earlier, but if he misses that FG, then you give the Lions great field position with 25 seconds or so to kick the game tying FG. Again, blame Smith for being a bonehead, not the refs for making the correct call.

Yes that incomplete pass by Romo was a boneheaded play by him. There are so many reasons why we lost and its not only a small list of 4 plays.

 

[Hoofbite]

I think there were 3 plays that did us in:

1> The throw away by Romo- should have just ran it and slid, would have forced them to take a timeout or burned a lot of clock. Big mistake by Romo there.
2> The PI call on Scandrick,, that was a farce. Same exact situation earlier in the game that the flag got picked up on. Someone needs to send that the league and ask why it wasn't picked up like it was earlier.
3> The Hold, bone head play by our LT. Don't know if it was because the runner bounced it and the DL reacted to that movement which caught him off guard or what but a stupid stupid play. If I am not mistaken, that was the only holding called all game on either side, I don't remember another one, what a strange time to call a hold for the first time of the game.

Any one of those 3 plays don't happen and we likely win that game. Football, enough to drive you crazy.

They shouldn't have even been passing on that down. They had already ran twice for negative yardage, which pretty much means they were just trying to burn clock. The two runs were after a pass on 1st down which indicates the opposite. Thankfully there was a penalty on 1st down.

If you're going to go for a first down, don't waste 2 downs gaining negative yardage in the first place.

At 3rd and 12 they should have just ran the ball. Game ends after the turnover on downs if they would have done that.

It was a complete mess. They didn't know if they wanted to burn clock or try for a first down, ultimately tried doing both and ended up giving the Lions that one extra possession.