Losing on Idiocy - Cowboys 13 - Steelers 20
Cold, hot, wet, dry, and yet all the same in this matchup. When the Cowboys and the Steelers face off it is always a battle no matter the conditions. This past Sunday was no different with both teams laying hits all over the field, fights and scuffles were plentiful, and the scoring was minimal. It is too bad that the team that lost was merely the team that did more stupid things. The Cowboys need to raise their on field IQ by a lot if they want to make the playoffs.
Dallas is one of the most talented teams in the NFL but they are lacking in discipline and awareness. This is something that has plagued them all year and certainly could not be had against the Steelers. The players knew this, right? But alas, their heads were up their asses and, unfortunately, the only one who seemed to care was the biggest ass of them all - TO’s sideline rant after the game should have been shared by all.
It started off a complete stalemate with both teams close to scoring but putting up zero points in the first quarter. Idiocy set in early for the Cowboys as they decided to go for it on 4th and 1. Tashard Choice was having a decent start but the playcall was Deon Anderson up the gut. Deon Anderson, the fullback, who had 1 attempt all year was chosen to get a critical first down instead of 4+ yards a carry Tashard Choice. A dreadful play call that not even Mom would be proud of.
Play calling improved along with the Dallas defense which was clogging up Pittsburgh’s attack better than the extra fatty super large bucket of mayo half of Americans eat in a day. Having stopped the Steelers and forcing a punt the Cowboys were about to get great field position with 6 minutes left in the 2nd Quarter. Mitch Berger shanked it and Dallas was about to take over on the Pittsburgh 33. Tre Battle and the Cowboys could not allow this! In Pop Warner football you are taught three things when returning a punt; 1 - find the ball, 2 - pick up a block, 3 - if there is no return get AWAY from the ball. The Cowboys actually managed to do none of these things! The punt return team did not find the short kick and Tre Battle, after missing his block, just shoved someone and kicked the ball into Pittsburgh’s hands. I was left speechless, unless a 15 minute rant of the words “FUCKING IDIOT” count as speech.
Could not get much worse, right? With such a basic fundamental being violated there were very few stupid things Dallas could do that would be worse. Oh, but those ‘Boys, they certainly found a way to do it with style!
After another forced punt the Cowboys had the ball on their own 8. Play calling in this position, with the lead, should be some type of run to protect the ball or a safe short pass that can be thrown out of bounds. On 1st and 10 Tony Romo decides to short change Owens down the sideline so that Ike Taylor of the Steelers defense can pick it off. Abysmal. ”Forced” just seems too understated. This throw was more like forcing a force of a force while trying to use THE force and finding out you possess zero Midi-chlorians. Yet, it got even worse! Back to the fundamental “thing” I had mentioned. 11 players or less are allowed on the field at one time. However, for the second time this season the Good Ole ‘Boys are called for 12 men on the field in a vital situation. The ranting of “fuck” could not even leave my mouth at that point. Agape, I believe, is the proper term.
Dallas goes on to make a brilliant goal line stop in the 4th quarter only for idiocy to prevail. Jason Garret checked out early and started calling safe and “time eating” plays that merely lead to punts. He forgot that this is the NFL and the Steelers were not far behind. Sure enough, the Steelers tied it up in the 4th leaving Dallas 2 minutes to try and break out of the tie. What does Dallas do? They throw an interception and watch Deshea Townsend dive into the end zone. The defense could have had a chance to hold the Steelers and force overtime but it was much more fun to spot the Steelers 7 points and take some time off of the clock. The game ended with 3 incomplete passes and the final pass thrown in-between 3 Cowboys players all watching the ball sail bye.
It is one thing for a team to get outplayed, out muscled, or just not be as good as another team. Look at what the Titans did to the Lions on Thanksgiving Day. The Lions were just completely overwhelmed and they really did not have a chance. The Cowboys, however, decided that even though they are equal or better as another team they just cannot decide to play as smart. It’s a damn shame when a game is lost merely due to players having the collective football intelligence of a pile of bricks. Well, I can’t say that, the bricks would have AT LEAST picked up their blocks on that punt.
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2 Responses to “Losing on Idiocy - Cowboys 13 - Steelers 20”
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December 8th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
There’s a reason that the old cliches in sports are repeated so often. It’s because they’re basically true. Ultimately, all the talent in the league can’t overcome poor fundamental play, poor basic clock management, and in cases like this, shitty special teams play completely kills you.
Look at some of the most successful teams that are considered “Blue Collar” teams, no superstars but just play solid fundamental football, make few mistakes, no boneheaded penalties. In essence, when you go back the last 5-10 years or so, you could ask yourself questions like how in the hell could a team with Trent Dilfer at QB win the Lombardi trophy? One of the weakest offenses in the NFL…but clean play, conservative, mistake free football. I know you can argue the flip side about playing “not to lose” but ultimately you have to play to your teams strengths. As a fan, nothing pisses you off more than watching your team implode and lose a game that were it not for a few extreme lapses in basic game management probably would have been a solid victory. I’ll take 10-6 wild card team that won or lost all the games by 7 points or under over a team that wins 50-47 one week and loses 34-3 the next over and over. And that comes from the experience of being an Indianapolis fan.
One of the hardest things to fix over the course of a season is fundamental play, because as much as you may hate to admit it, that more than just about anything else that is deeply rooted in the coaching staff.
December 11th, 2008 at 10:35 am
I have been bitching about the Cowboys lack of focus on the field for awhile now and it’s pissing me off. The worst part is that, you’re exactly right, it has to be on the coaching staff. It’s not just starters making mistakes it’s the special teams. If you’re getting paid 500,000+ a/year then I think you can keep focused for 20 plays a game. C’MON.