re-watched the dallas game

[die cowboys die]

ok, it's 2 days since game day, so i wanted to look back at the game now that i've calmed down emotionally. here are my thoughts:

BRUNELL:* i'm prepared to back off my brunell bashing- slightly. i could see a little more of what gibbs said, about how the other facets of the offense were affecting him. he isn't as bad as 2004, but he does look about how he did around the end of the season last year (which is not good). he may not be absolutely terrible. he might even be "OK". but he sure doesn't seem "good". can he improve? does he need the rest of the offense to be really good just for him not to suck? i'm not sure that's the mark of a quality QB, if so.

SACKS/PRESSURE: he has an annoying habit of stepping right INTO the pass rush instead of just moving up in the pocket, or, you know, any other way except RIGHT INTO the pass-rusher. another sack he took, he had the RB (i think it was) open in the middle of the field with no one around him, right by the 1st down marker, but instead he pumped, pulled the ball back down, and took the sack.
THE INTERCEPTION: was flat-out horrible. cooley did look to have a step on his man in single-coverage, but the pass floated so long and underthrown that the DB got in better position, and the safety had time to come all the way across the field.
GOOD THROWS: he made some toward the end of the game. most of them were against a soft "prevent" defense, but he actually drilled 3 or 4 in there. which begs the question, why doesn't he do this more often? he might actually be fine physically, yet seems to lack confidence in his own ability to make the throws, so why shouldn't we, the fans? perhaps he is only hesitant because of unfamiliarity with the offense, and will really get rolling in a few weeks. i would love to see that happen.


RUNNINGBACKS: ladell betts actually did a pretty darn good job with what was there. he ran very well, and was an effective receiver out of the backfield. he does not deserve any criticism there. but i do now believe the offense will get a LOT better (or at least a lot less awful) once portis comes back, for 2 reasons:
1. betts and duckett are bad pass-blockers. their poor blocking contributed to many pass plays breaking down.
2. portis has that ability to "make" things happen on occaison even when nothing is really there.

PASS DEFENSE: if portis is the most important player on our offense, shawn springs seems to be the most important on defense. our 2nd and 3rd CBs are so unspeakably awful that it completely changes the defense. we can't afford to do nearly as much with the blitzing, because we can't leave those guys exposed for a SECOND. just as the offense should get much better with portis, the defense should get much much better when springs comes back.

HORRIBLE OFFICIATING: i think we were all so worked up about how bad we looked, we forgot to pay attention to this. first of all, there were about 759 missed holding calls on dallas- mostly on offense, but a few "illegal contact" defensive holding-type penalties as well.

however, by far the most devastating, ridiculous, and inexcusable blown call was PATRICK CRAYTON'S "TOUCHDOWN". it was an outrageously blatant case of offensive Illegal Contact. he ran about 9 yards past the line of scrimmage into the endzone, and SHOVED our DB as hard as he possibly could, then stepped a few feet over to the side, now wide open, to make his catch. (the shove was before the ball was in the air). so this was NOT even close to being a touchdown, and the offense should've been backed up, and may not have scored a TD at all.

i'm pretty sure there was another extremely horrible one or two that changed the shape of the game, but i'm not going to worry much about them since we would've lost anyway.

[Chris Luva Luva]

Ive also backed off a bit. Ive never been so calm yet infuriated at the same time. Im definately a better fan than I used to be, I could have really went off.

[joebagadonuts]

You, dcd, are a braver man than I. I plan on watching 'The Grudge' as a pick me up so I can handle rewatching the game.

however, by far the most devastating, ridiculous, and inexcusable blown call was PATRICK CRAYTON'S "TOUCHDOWN". it was an outrageously blatant case of offensive Illegal Contact. he ran about 9 yards past the line of scrimmage into the endzone, and SHOVED our DB as hard as he possibly could, then stepped a few feet over to the side, now wide open, to make his catch. (the shove was before the ball was in the air). so this was NOT even close to being a touchdown, and the offense should've been backed up, and may not have scored a TD at all.

I was yelling at the TV when I saw this. Madden even called it, saying casually that Crayton pushed Taylor. That was a big TD, too. A stop there may have given the defense a bit more confidence.

[NikiH]

die cowboys die wrote:

HORRIBLE OFFICIATING: i think we were all so worked up about how bad we looked, we forgot to pay attention to this. first of all, there were about 759 missed holding calls on dallas- mostly on offense, but a few "illegal contact" defensive holding-type penalties as well.

however, by far the most devastating, ridiculous, and inexcusable blown call was PATRICK CRAYTON'S "TOUCHDOWN". it was an outrageously blatant case of offensive Illegal Contact. he ran about 9 yards past the line of scrimmage into the endzone, and SHOVED our DB as hard as he possibly could, then stepped a few feet over to the side, now wide open, to make his catch. (the shove was before the ball was in the air). so this was NOT even close to being a touchdown, and the offense should've been backed up, and may not have scored a TD at all.

i'm pretty sure there was another extremely horrible one or two that changed the shape of the game, but i'm not going to worry much about them since we would've lost anyway.


Ok well you know what??? I think you owe me an apology, as do a few other members. I was saying this during the game and after and all I heard was that I was blaming the refs. They blew this game. The Redskins did not play well but after the bad calls all over the place they probably felt defeated regardless of their effort!

[Mursilis]

Let's not start with the refs. Sure, the officiating was awful, but do we really want to sound like Seahawks fans?!? They're still crying over a game that took place in February!!!

[NikiH]

Let's not start with the refs. Sure, the officiating was awful, but do we really want to sound like Seahawks fans?!? They're still crying over a game that took place in February!!!

This is different! First of all if you would like to rewatch it and see that some of the hits were not only illegal but could have hurt our players I will not let it go. It's in the past and I'm not saying this is the only reason our team did not win this game. I am saying that if we wanted a shot in hell at winning we would have had to over come way more then just our problems on offense.

[Dangerfield]

Complete offensive ineptitude is why we lost the game, not the referees. If you really want to be honest, our FG drive was helped immensely by poor calls. I agree that the refs were terrible, but I made a decision a long time ago to NEVER blame the refs for losing a game. It is the worst thing you can do to yourself as a fan IMO.

[die cowboys die]

die cowboys die wrote:

HORRIBLE OFFICIATING: i think we were all so worked up about how bad we looked, we forgot to pay attention to this. first of all, there were about 759 missed holding calls on dallas- mostly on offense, but a few "illegal contact" defensive holding-type penalties as well.

however, by far the most devastating, ridiculous, and inexcusable blown call was PATRICK CRAYTON'S "TOUCHDOWN". it was an outrageously blatant case of offensive Illegal Contact. he ran about 9 yards past the line of scrimmage into the endzone, and SHOVED our DB as hard as he possibly could, then stepped a few feet over to the side, now wide open, to make his catch. (the shove was before the ball was in the air). so this was NOT even close to being a touchdown, and the offense should've been backed up, and may not have scored a TD at all.

i'm pretty sure there was another extremely horrible one or two that changed the shape of the game, but i'm not going to worry much about them since we would've lost anyway.


Ok well you know what??? I think you owe me an apology, as do a few other members. I was saying this during the game and after and all I heard was that I was blaming the refs. They blew this game. The Redskins did not play well but after the bad calls all over the place they probably felt defeated regardless of their effort!

i will apologize slightly for some of the brunell/blind optimism/etc stuff. as you pointed out, i myself have warned not to take me too seriously the day or two after a loss. however, i personally never said anything against your comments about the refs during the game. i'm sure i would have agreed with you- i noticed the Crayton illegal contact during the game, but was so worked up about other things i completely forgot about it 'til i watched it again.

personally i think bad officiating is inexcusable, especially when the league knows it's terrible and yet has done absolutely NOTHING to fix it, year after year. i also think it's a bit "optimistic" for others to suggest that officiating can't be responsible for altering the outcome of a game. we'd like to think it's totally in our teams' control but the fact is, almost every team will play in at least 2 or 3 games this year that are decided by the refs instead of the players.

[SkinzCanes]

Sure the officiating was bad. But it was bad on both sides. Like another poster pointed out, those calls that we got on out TD drive were pretty bad also.

[BossHog]

DCD feels the need to retract some of his statements because they were perhaps made in haste? Positively shocking.

Just a thought... when people are forced to constantly backtrack or apologize week after week... the apologies eventually become as empty and baseless as the conversation you're apologizing for.

[SkinzCanes]

DCD feels the need to retract some of his statements because they were perhaps made in haste? Positively shocking. Wink

Just a thought... when people are forced to constantly backtrack or apologize week after week... the apologies eventually become as empty and baseless as the conversation you're apologizing for.

:twocents:

What ever happened to "attack the post, not the poster"?

[Dangerfield]

GREAT QUESTION!

[die cowboys die]

DCD feels the need to retract some of his statements because they were perhaps made in haste? Positively shocking.

Just a thought... when people are forced to constantly backtrack or apologize week after week... the apologies eventually become as empty and baseless as the conversation you're apologizing for.

not so fast, buddy. i am in no way retracting my previous statements, just slightly downgrading the intensity of the sentiment.

additionally, the only statement i have EVER retracted is "fire joe gibbs". so, i find your comments "empty and baseless".

[Cappster]

I will not take back my criticism of Brunell! A quarterback should be able to make plays and help others make plays. Brunell hasn't done that so far this year. Take for instance if, at my job, I decide not to help people with their computer problems for a week, I would be criticized and they would struggle because of it. If I do my job, most people are happy(can't make everyone happy) and they can do their work effectively. My point being is that if Brunell did his job effectively, he would bring other players up to his level of play.

Quarterback is the "leader" on the field. He needs to lead his team to victory and make everyone rise to the occasion. You think the Bulls in the mid 90's would have been that good or been good at all without MJ? A leader needs to act like a leader and stop looking like a confused General on the battlefield.

p.s. I am a systems administrator

[REDEEMEDSKIN]

DCD feels the need to retract some of his statements because they were perhaps made in haste? Positively shocking.

Just a thought... when people are forced to constantly backtrack or apologize week after week... the apologies eventually become as empty and baseless as the conversation you're apologizing for.

not so fast, buddy. i am in no way retracting my previous statements, just slightly downgrading the intensity of the sentiment.

additionally, the only statement i have EVER retracted is "fire joe gibbs". so, i find your comments "empty and baseless".

Dang!!! I don't know how to explain the way I feel right now after dcd's retreat...


Iguess it compares to how Phoebe must have felt when she got Ross to cave in on his belief in evolution on an episode of "Friends" (yes, the ONE espisode I remember).

[BossHog]

DCD feels the need to retract some of his statements because they were perhaps made in haste? Positively shocking. Wink

Just a thought... when people are forced to constantly backtrack or apologize week after week... the apologies eventually become as empty and baseless as the conversation you're apologizing for.

:twocents:

What ever happened to "attack the post, not the poster"?

Are you serious, where's the attack? Where did I call him a name?

It certainly is perfectly aceptable to challenge something a poster has said ... this is a message board. I doubt even dcd would say that I attacked him. Did I challenge the fact that he constantly speaks from the heart without sometimes thinking... sure i did... but I didn't say ... you're an idiot... you always have to take back what you say. That's a personal attack.

Geepers there's even a wink smiley in there to convey that it was of a light nature.

For the record... i actually think dcd is a good poster... but only seemingly between wednesday and sunday if we lose... That isn't an indictment of him at all... he just loses some synapses when he's angry, but i enjoy his posts a lot of the rest of the time. That's why Ipointed out that it becomes hard to take something someone says on monday seriously if they consistently shift their view by Wednesday.

It most certainly wasn't a personal attack in either intent or by our description of what an attack is.

[USAFSkinFan]

Sure the officiating was bad. But it was bad on both sides. Like another poster pointed out, those calls that we got on out TD drive were pretty bad also.

I agree... I have the misfortune of working with a couple Dallas fans, they believe that, if not for a couple breaks (T.O. getting striiped, the KR, and some bad penalties), it would've been more like a 38-0 game... whatever... I'll just be glad to take out our frustrations on the other Texas team this week, so I don't have to listen to any more @#$%...

[Chris Luva Luva]

DCD feels the need to retract some of his statements because they were perhaps made in haste? Positively shocking. Wink

Just a thought... when people are forced to constantly backtrack or apologize week after week... the apologies eventually become as empty and baseless as the conversation you're apologizing for.

:twocents:

What ever happened to "attack the post, not the poster"?

Are you serious, where's the attack? Where did I call him a name?

It certainly is perfectly aceptable to challenge something a poster has said ... this is a message board. I doubt even dcd would say that I attacked him. Did I challenge the fact that he constantly speaks from the heart without sometimes thinking... sure i did... but I didn't say ... you're an idiot... you always have to take back what you say. That's a personal attack.

Geepers there's even a wink smiley in there to convey that it was of a light nature.

For the record... i actually think dcd is a good poster... but only seemingly between wednesday and sunday if we lose... That isn't an indictment of him at all... he just loses some synapses when he's angry, but i enjoy his posts a lot of the rest of the time. That's why Ipointed out that it becomes hard to take something someone says on monday seriously if they consistently shift their view by Wednesday.

It most certainly wasn't a personal attack in either intent or by our description of what an attack is.

Somebody is having a great day...
The lack of sarcasm in your reply is disturbing.

[1niksder]

DCD feels the need to retract some of his statements because they were perhaps made in haste? Positively shocking. Wink

Just a thought... when people are forced to constantly backtrack or apologize week after week... the apologies eventually become as empty and baseless as the conversation you're apologizing for.

:twocents:

What ever happened to "attack the post, not the poster"?

Are you serious, where's the attack? Where did I call him a name?

It certainly is perfectly aceptable to challenge something a poster has said ... this is a message board. I doubt even dcd would say that I attacked him. Did I challenge the fact that he constantly speaks from the heart without sometimes thinking... sure i did... but I didn't say ... you're an idiot... you always have to take back what you say. That's a personal attack.

Geepers there's even a wink smiley in there to convey that it was of a light nature.

For the record... i actually think dcd is a good poster... but only seemingly between wednesday and sunday if we lose... That isn't an indictment of him at all... he just loses some synapses when he's angry, but i enjoy his posts a lot of the rest of the time. That's why Ipointed out that it becomes hard to take something someone says on monday seriously if they consistently shift their view by Wednesday.

It most certainly wasn't a personal attack in either intent or by our description of what an attack is.

Somebody is having a great day...
The lack of sarcasm in your reply is disturbing.

What did you expect ? SkinzCanes was only offering
You get what you pay for.