Hostile
The Duke
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The primer threads get harder to do for the Division rivals. I don't want to share the exact same info each time. Luckily the season changes and details do too.
If anyone has ideas for these threads, by all means PM me in the days leading up to the games. I don't mind doing some research to provide something good for the members here. I certainly have no monopoly on ideas for topics.
So this primer is slightly different than some I do. I hope you will still gain something from it.
Let's start with the fact that Philadelphia is coming off their bye week. In Andy Reid's 12 previous seasons as Eagles Head Coach they are 12-0 coming off of their bye week. Is that an omen? If so it is an ominous one.
The Eagles under Andy Reid have never faced the Cowboys the week after a bye. Is that an omen? I don't know.
Let's talk about records and omens a bit. Dallas has faced 22 previous teams who were coming off of their bye week when they faced them. They are 17-5 in those games. Is that a good omen? I still don't know.
The Cowboys have faced the Eagles twice coming off of their bye weeks, just never in the Andy Reid era. They are 1-1 in those games. They lost on Monday Night Football in 1992, 7-31. They won in 1998, 34-0. 1992 was a Super Bowl season for a young team on the rise. Is that an omen? I wish I knew.
Last week the Cowboys halted a depressing streak that not many people might have known about. They had lost 6 straight games in the month of October. So that bad streak died. Is that an omen? Nope, still don't know.
This game will be on Sunday Night Football. The Cowboys are 10-7 on Sunday Night Football. Two of those losses were against the Eagles. Is that an omen? I almost don't want to know that one.
The Cowboys are on a bad luck run on Sunday Night Football. At one time they were the NFL leader at 10-3. They have lose the last 4 times they have appeared on Sunday Night Football. Is that an omen? I don't want to know that one.
In fact, the Cowboys had gone on a very bad streak in Prime Time games. In 2009 they won every game in Prime Time. In 2010 they lost every game in Prime Time, six in a row to be exact. That streak extended on opening day against the Jets, but ended two weeks later with a win over the Commanders on Monday Night Football. Is that an omen? I find myself hoping it is.
The Cowboys are 6-2 on the calendar date October 30th. One of the losses was Tom Landry's first year, the other was his last year. We've only played on this calendar date twice since Tom Landry was let go. The last time was in 2005.
The Cowboys and Eagles have played exactly 100 regular season football games. This game marks number 101. The Cowboys lead the all time series 56-44. They are 24-25 at Philadelphia.
Whether or not you believe in omens or any other predestination, superstition, or karma should be irrelevant to you this week. Instead, what should be absolutely relevant is what a victory against the Eagles could mean. First of all the team will be back up over .500 and would be 2-0 in the NFC East. That is always a crucial talking point. We all know that when Division Rivals are tied head to head records and then record against the Division are the top two tie breakers.
In other words, this is a game we need to win. A game we can win. You see, we have won 2 in a row at Philadelphia. Last year we closed the season with a win against them to stay out of the NFC East cellar. A game hotly debated on this forum due to Draft status.
I think breeding an atmosphere of winning is more important than where you Draft. The best teams in the NFL year after year always draft in the later part of each round and they continue to compete. Some teams stay int he top 10 picks for years and never rise above that because they don't learn how to win.
Despite the losses this year, this team is learning how to win. There will be someone who will chime in that they are learning how to lose too. I disagree with that. Wisdom is knowing fire burns, but experience is remembering the blisters. I think a young team has to lose some games in order to suppress ego, and think team first.
To my utter delight this team does think team first. DeMarco Murray just set a Dallas Cowboys all time singe game rushing record with 253 yards. Asked if he thought this meant he was the starter, Murray replied that he will accept any role, including 3rd string if that is where the team needs him.
Do you realize how rare that is?
Contrast that against an early statement coming out of the city of brotherly love, no not San Francisco, Philadelphia, and they were calling themselves the "Dream Team." It has backfired. Right in their faces. Please don't think that means good omens for the Cowboys. Andy Reid and his Eagles may be having a rough go, but that team has been known to rise to the occasion many times. Often at our expense.
Emmitt Smith's now eclipsed Cowboys single game rushing record came against the Eagles in 1993. It would have been kind of poetic if that record had waited one more week. Alas fate was not meant to smile on us that way.
I'll tell you how fate is smiling on us though. This team is getting healthy. Right now only a handful of players are still hobbled. I am not sure I believe in omens, but I think that might be a bad one for an Eagles team struggling to find itself. If they didn't come together after their bye then Andy isn't going to get a baker's dozen wins after a bye.
Finally, let me close this primer with one more thought as it pertains to Sunday's game. Some people are going to predict an Eagles victory this week. Just remember this. Eagles and crow both taste like chicken.
Go Cowboys.
If anyone has ideas for these threads, by all means PM me in the days leading up to the games. I don't mind doing some research to provide something good for the members here. I certainly have no monopoly on ideas for topics.
So this primer is slightly different than some I do. I hope you will still gain something from it.
Let's start with the fact that Philadelphia is coming off their bye week. In Andy Reid's 12 previous seasons as Eagles Head Coach they are 12-0 coming off of their bye week. Is that an omen? If so it is an ominous one.
The Eagles under Andy Reid have never faced the Cowboys the week after a bye. Is that an omen? I don't know.
Let's talk about records and omens a bit. Dallas has faced 22 previous teams who were coming off of their bye week when they faced them. They are 17-5 in those games. Is that a good omen? I still don't know.
The Cowboys have faced the Eagles twice coming off of their bye weeks, just never in the Andy Reid era. They are 1-1 in those games. They lost on Monday Night Football in 1992, 7-31. They won in 1998, 34-0. 1992 was a Super Bowl season for a young team on the rise. Is that an omen? I wish I knew.
Last week the Cowboys halted a depressing streak that not many people might have known about. They had lost 6 straight games in the month of October. So that bad streak died. Is that an omen? Nope, still don't know.
This game will be on Sunday Night Football. The Cowboys are 10-7 on Sunday Night Football. Two of those losses were against the Eagles. Is that an omen? I almost don't want to know that one.
The Cowboys are on a bad luck run on Sunday Night Football. At one time they were the NFL leader at 10-3. They have lose the last 4 times they have appeared on Sunday Night Football. Is that an omen? I don't want to know that one.
In fact, the Cowboys had gone on a very bad streak in Prime Time games. In 2009 they won every game in Prime Time. In 2010 they lost every game in Prime Time, six in a row to be exact. That streak extended on opening day against the Jets, but ended two weeks later with a win over the Commanders on Monday Night Football. Is that an omen? I find myself hoping it is.
The Cowboys are 6-2 on the calendar date October 30th. One of the losses was Tom Landry's first year, the other was his last year. We've only played on this calendar date twice since Tom Landry was let go. The last time was in 2005.
The Cowboys and Eagles have played exactly 100 regular season football games. This game marks number 101. The Cowboys lead the all time series 56-44. They are 24-25 at Philadelphia.
Whether or not you believe in omens or any other predestination, superstition, or karma should be irrelevant to you this week. Instead, what should be absolutely relevant is what a victory against the Eagles could mean. First of all the team will be back up over .500 and would be 2-0 in the NFC East. That is always a crucial talking point. We all know that when Division Rivals are tied head to head records and then record against the Division are the top two tie breakers.
In other words, this is a game we need to win. A game we can win. You see, we have won 2 in a row at Philadelphia. Last year we closed the season with a win against them to stay out of the NFC East cellar. A game hotly debated on this forum due to Draft status.
I think breeding an atmosphere of winning is more important than where you Draft. The best teams in the NFL year after year always draft in the later part of each round and they continue to compete. Some teams stay int he top 10 picks for years and never rise above that because they don't learn how to win.
Despite the losses this year, this team is learning how to win. There will be someone who will chime in that they are learning how to lose too. I disagree with that. Wisdom is knowing fire burns, but experience is remembering the blisters. I think a young team has to lose some games in order to suppress ego, and think team first.
To my utter delight this team does think team first. DeMarco Murray just set a Dallas Cowboys all time singe game rushing record with 253 yards. Asked if he thought this meant he was the starter, Murray replied that he will accept any role, including 3rd string if that is where the team needs him.
Do you realize how rare that is?
Contrast that against an early statement coming out of the city of brotherly love, no not San Francisco, Philadelphia, and they were calling themselves the "Dream Team." It has backfired. Right in their faces. Please don't think that means good omens for the Cowboys. Andy Reid and his Eagles may be having a rough go, but that team has been known to rise to the occasion many times. Often at our expense.
Emmitt Smith's now eclipsed Cowboys single game rushing record came against the Eagles in 1993. It would have been kind of poetic if that record had waited one more week. Alas fate was not meant to smile on us that way.
I'll tell you how fate is smiling on us though. This team is getting healthy. Right now only a handful of players are still hobbled. I am not sure I believe in omens, but I think that might be a bad one for an Eagles team struggling to find itself. If they didn't come together after their bye then Andy isn't going to get a baker's dozen wins after a bye.
Finally, let me close this primer with one more thought as it pertains to Sunday's game. Some people are going to predict an Eagles victory this week. Just remember this. Eagles and crow both taste like chicken.
Go Cowboys.
