When Players Have No Fear

[percyhoward]

That's 90% of this team's success, IMO. Our key guys don't seem to be afraid of anything.

Owens has always believed the entire world was against him, and not making the Pro Bowl last year probably only helped to confirm it to him. He seems to have rededicated himself with that thought in mind. When it's him against mankind on a daily basis, why should going into Chicago to face the league's best defense be a challenge?

Barber has always been a RB with a LB's mentality. But this year there's another element there. It's like he's tapped into the spirit of a young Jim Brown. He welcomes contact, and even seems to relish it, but without seeking it. He smells goal line. Like Deion said, he runs every carry like it's his last. You wonder how long he can keep this up.

Then there's Romo, who thinks he's playing a game of touch football at a backyard barbeque. BUT he will do whatever it takes to win that game. The best camera shot of the game last night was of Romo and Urlacher after a play, I think when the game was still tied. Romo was laughing, and Urlacher had this look of surprised disappointment that said, "Why isn't this guy scared?"

 

[Hoov]

Best thing about Romo, it doesn't matter if its 3rd and 18, he's in the huddle like "ok, we got this".

Its 4th and 3 or 4 near midfield and he's pointing downfield, lets go for it.

 

[percyhoward]

Best thing about Romo, it doesn't matter if its 3rd and 18, he's in the huddle like "ok, we got this".

Its 4th and 3 or 4 near midfield and he's pointing downfield, lets go for it.

That reminds me, Wade's got no fear either.

 

[THUMPER]

That reminds me, Wade's got no fear either.

Playing-to-win as opposed to playing-not-to-lose, that's the difference. Parcells plays from fear, fear of making mistakes, fear of letting the other team do something. Wade plays from confidence, we will do whatever it takes to win the game.

Huge difference IMO.

 

[dr_hefley]

Playing-to-win as opposed to playing-not-to-lose, that's the difference. Parcells plays from fear, fear of making mistakes, fear of letting the other team do something. Wade plays from confidence, we will do whatever it takes to win the game.

Huge difference IMO.

I said it all last year; that team played scared.

Glad to see things are turning around. It's good to see the coach with some enthusiasm after a good play instead of just an icy stare after a bad one.

 

[cowboyed]

That's 90% of this team's success, IMO. Our key guys don't seem to be afraid of anything.

Owens has always believed the entire world was against him, and not making the Pro Bowl last year probably only helped to confirm it to him. He seems to have rededicated himself with that thought in mind. When it's him against mankind on a daily basis, why should going into Chicago to face the league's best defense be a challenge?

Barber has always been a RB with a LB's mentality. But this year there's another element there. It's like he's tapped into the spirit of a young Jim Brown. He welcomes contact, and even seems to relish it, but without seeking it. He smells goal line. Like Deion said, he runs every carry like it's his last. You wonder how long he can keep this up.

Then there's Romo, who thinks he's playing a game of touch football at a backyard barbeque. BUT he will do whatever it takes to win that game. The best camera shot of the game last night was of Romo and Urlacher after a play, I think when the game was still tied. Romo was laughing, and Urlacher had this look of surprised disappointment that said, "Why isn't this guy scared?"

I agree when teams become fearless they can be unstoppable but you know you need talent to back that up.

 

[percyhoward]

Playing-to-win as opposed to playing-not-to-lose, that's the difference. Parcells plays from fear, fear of making mistakes, fear of letting the other team do something. Wade plays from confidence, we will do whatever it takes to win the game.

Huge difference IMO.

Good point. I think Parcells was trying coach a football team, and at the same time, trying to protect and solidify his legacy, and that factored into his coaching and personnel decisions, and generally made him less open to other people's ideas.

Wade is free from that, and basically much more of a free spirit anyway.

 

[RomoIsBack]

That's 90% of this team's success, IMO. Our key guys don't seem to be afraid of anything.

Owens has always believed the entire world was against him, and not making the Pro Bowl last year probably only helped to confirm it to him. He seems to have rededicated himself with that thought in mind. When it's him against mankind on a daily basis, why should going into Chicago to face the league's best defense be a challenge?

Barber has always been a RB with a LB's mentality. But this year there's another element there. It's like he's tapped into the spirit of a young Jim Brown. He welcomes contact, and even seems to relish it, but without seeking it. He smells goal line. Like Deion said, he runs every carry like it's his last. You wonder how long he can keep this up.

Then there's Romo, who thinks he's playing a game of touch football at a backyard barbeque. BUT he will do whatever it takes to win that game. The best camera shot of the game last night was of Romo and Urlacher after a play, I think when the game was still tied. Romo was laughing, and Urlacher had this look of surprised disappointment that said, "Why isn't this guy scared?"

`
if he was scared he laugh to shrug it off

 

[superpunk]

That's all lovely with the talent to back it up. Wade trusts his players, and if they tell him they can make this play, he's shown thus far that he's willing to let them do it. It's not like we went for the throat last night up by only 10 by winging it around. We went conservative, wisely running the ball and trusting our defense against their inept QB.

But, when a pressure decision came, and his players assured him they would execute - he trusted them. Since that worked, it really helps everyone feel great. If it starts not working, you have the "inmates running the asylum" scenario.

The perspective varies based on execution.

 

[percyhoward]

When a pressure decision came, and his players assured him they would execute - he trusted them. Since that worked, it really helps everyone feel great. If it starts not working, you have the "inmates running the asylum" scenario.

And Wade probably knows every bend of that road.

 

[Hostile]

That's 90% of this team's success, IMO. Our key guys don't seem to be afraid of anything.

Owens has always believed the entire world was against him, and not making the Pro Bowl last year probably only helped to confirm it to him. He seems to have rededicated himself with that thought in mind. When it's him against mankind on a daily basis, why should going into Chicago to face the league's best defense be a challenge?

Barber has always been a RB with a LB's mentality. But this year there's another element there. It's like he's tapped into the spirit of a young Jim Brown. He welcomes contact, and even seems to relish it, but without seeking it. He smells goal line. Like Deion said, he runs every carry like it's his last. You wonder how long he can keep this up.

Then there's Romo, who thinks he's playing a game of touch football at a backyard barbeque. BUT he will do whatever it takes to win that game. The best camera shot of the game last night was of Romo and Urlacher after a play, I think when the game was still tied. Romo was laughing, and Urlacher had this look of surprised disappointment that said, "Why isn't this guy scared?"

So true. This is so true.

Think about this. How many yards were pulled off the field by phantom penalties? I'd wager at least 50, maybe more on Julius Jones (poor kid) alone.

7 points on the drop or 3 points on the jailbreak blocked FG.

These are things that can crush a team's spirit. They really can. The types of things that you look back at a loss and say, that's when the wheels came off.

But instead of this, you have Pat McQuistan running a guy down and making a saving tackle. You have Sam Hurd delivering a "jacked up" block and following it with a big catch. Most of all you have Tony Romo playing so well that not even Al Michaels could find a reason to talk about the Seattle bobble.

Fascinating the difference between this team and last year's. The players had begged Parcells to take the brakes off for 2 years. Now you know why. He did some great things here, but the one bad thing about his tenure is the playing with fear factor.

 

[theebs]

that block on archuletta was just Fantastic. Archuletta had a really really poor game. Take away his in the right place at the right time int, barber made him look ridiculous on that td run.

 

[RomoIsBack]

just think if we did get those points^ it would of been worst

 

[DasTex]

At the start of the game...did anyone else think that Romo looked physically sick?? He normally is smiling all the time, even in warm ups, but last night he just didn't look right. My wife even thought the same thing...but then once he got going.....well you know the rest!!

 

[Hostile]

that block on archuletta was just Fantastic. Archuletta had a really really poor game. Take away his in the right place at the right time int, barber made him look ridiculous on that td run.

I miss him on the Skins.

 

[percyhoward]

you have Pat McQuistan running a guy down and making a saving tackle.

The Flying Scotsman

Fascinating the difference between this team and last year's. The players had begged Parcells to take the brakes off for 2 years. Now you know why. He did some great things here, but the one bad thing about his tenure is the playing with fear factor.

Don't know if you heard T-New when asked to describe Parcells in one word. He said, "Smart." Then added, "but it was like he would rather prove a point than win the game."

 

[theogt]

That's all lovely with the talent to back it up.

Arguably there's less "talent" on this team this year than last. There's something different and it obviously comes from the coaching staff.

 

[Hostile]

The Flying Scotsman


Don't know if you heard T-New when asked to describe Parcells in one word. He said, "Smart." Then added, "but it was like he would rather prove a point than win the game."

I didn't hear that, but I agree with it.

 

[Cowboys22]

What I really liked last night was that Romo took some hard shots early and seemed unfazed. He came right back and hung in the pocket when he had to. The guy is simply amazing to me!

 

[Hoov]

Arguably there's less "talent" on this team this year than last. There's something different and it obviously comes from the coaching staff.

The O Line is definitely better this year.

And the young guys are stepping up. Hurd, Reeves. with Glenn and Newman missing time.

Plus Romo and barber kind of had their learning curve over the course of last year so I was expecting that those two would play this year.

Having said that, i still give props to this years coaching staff for knowing how to use the players we have, that seems like a big improvement over last year.