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Dropped opportunityOf any 2-3 team, I thought the media and fandom would appreciate things as they were realizing some sort of step forward was taken in a 20-16 loss to the New England Patriots in Foxboro yesterday evening.
I get that it was a loss. I get that there are only 16 of these things. I get that losing close games smarts.
I also get that there were a shitload of mistakes made by the Cowboys that helped determine the result of that game.
Bottomline: The Cowboys got a snootful of Tom Brady, and he's spectacular. He is a Hall of Fame quarterback. He is a winner. He is better than 99 percent of every professional football player at their respective positions.
I listened to the game yesterday on the radio, for the most part, and caught the final six minutes on the ol' TV set. I hate the Dallas Cowboys, but I thought they battled like motherfuckers yesterday. I didn't give the Cowboys a chance in hell to win yesterday, and instead of casting doubt and seeing the glass as half empty, I'm apt to acknowledge the good things that happened.
The Patriots are two tiers above the Dallas Cowboys and no one's played the Patriots like that all season, and I doubt it'll happen again any time soon.
The knocks on this team yesterday I felt dealt with personnel issues and penalties. The Cowboys committed and were called for 10 infractions. Pretty much all 10 were gigantic. If Jimmy Johnson were here, Anthony Spencer's looking for a new team this morning. His "running into the kicker" and roughing the passer penalty were ridiculously bad. Both resulted in first downs. The "running into the kicker" penalty was essentially a turnover as it gave the ball back to the Patriots. Jason Garrett needs to tighten the screws.
As for personnel, I might like Kevin "Killer" Kowalski. He might be super. He should not be your only back-up offensive lineman. Two, no one should complain about the Cowboys this year if you are ready for the Bill Nagy/Doug Free/Tyron Smith/Phil Costa regime. Again, all four have showed me something and I'm down with starting them. However, you will lose games and you can look at the offensive front, sometimes, and determine that's a reason they lost a game.
Then turnovers: You can't have them. Yes, the Cowboys "won" the turnover battle. However, you wonder how a team can force the Patriots into four turnovers -- including their first two fumbles of the season -- and lose.
Meet the 2011-12 Dallas Cowboys!
What I find most odd is that Jason Garrett's playcalling is being criticized, particularly running the ball three straight times with three minutes left in the game. It was a three-and-out and it allowed the Patriots to get the ball and score the winning touchdown.
I don't "blame" Garrett for anything. It's a valid tactic (run the clock, force the Patriots to use timeouts, put the onus on the defense to make a play). It didn't work. The Patriots don't need timeouts. Brady's too good and the defense isn't all the way great.
With that said, on first down, I do take a shot a little down the field. A slant, a curl or a screen. Something quick (as to protect Romo) and something with a high probability of success. However, I do not "blame" Garrett for anything. The Patriots know how to make plays. The Cowboys don't. Nothing Garrett can teach them to change that.
Grades:
Quarterback -- C+
Eh. I still think he doesn't get enough blame in a loss. The only quarterback in the league who doesn't. That's a bad interception. Good enough to win just about any game. Bad enough to lose the rest.
Running Back -- F
Nothing. Plus, Felix Jones is hurt now. He'll be out probably for two seasons. I'd try to come on here and explain away this team's inability or unwillingness to use their running backs even when the running game isn't going, but I'm tired. The Patriots give up a lot of passing yards to opposing backs. Between Jones, Tashard Choice and Demarco Murray, they caught five passes. By the way, Choice needs to go away. He's useless. A brain dead remnant of a four-year stretch where disappointment outweighed results.
Wide Receiver -- C+
You can win with Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson. You can also win with Tony Romo. The Cowboys rarely win with either. Austin had two massive drops killing one drive. Plus, where do these guys go in the red zone? Between them, the backs and Jason Witten, the opponent can't cover all of them. Somehow, they all disappear.
Tight End -- B+
Spent a lot of time blocking. Jason Witten with another touchdown.
Offensive Line -- C
I like what Brad Sham said yesterday: People may not want to hear this or believe it, but this offensive line is getting better. Yes, the holding and false start penalties are massive. The blown coverages are a huge problem. However, there's a cohesiveness and trust forming. The penalties and times when they are steamrolled will happen. If you're looking to win a Super Bowl this year, get over yourself.
Defensive Line -- B-
Seems like I heard Sean Lissemore's name quite a bit. Marcus Spears awoke from his 1,000-year sleep to make a sack. At times they were gashed in the run game, and then they would stiffen up and make a stand.
Linebackers -- A
Two sacks, a forced fumble and an interception. DeMarcus Ware may be a beast, but Sean Lee is a fucking playmaker. Dude is everywhere and he is always primed to make two or three plays of note in a game.
Secondary -- A
I thought they'd get carved up by Brady and the Patriots. Kept everyone in front of them, forced the Patriots to drive the ball, were responsible for all four New England turnovers and played a really good game. It is nice having everyone back in uniform. How many gigantic plays has Gerald Sensabaugh made this season? Six or seven?
Special Teams -- A
No one's talking about special teams. I think they're having a superb year. The kicking situation hasn't been this good in years. I can't, for the life of me, understand why David Buehler's still on the roster. Dan Bailey doesn't plant kickoffs in the end zone, but the coverage is so good that it doesn't matter. I guess the idea of a kickoff return is scary, but it hasn't bothered the squads. Zero problem with their play five games in.
Coaching -- B
I thought the defense played their asses off. I guess they needed to make one more play, and they couldn't. Still, a little responsibility needs to be picked up by the offense. I'm sure the defense is sick of hearing about how talented the offense is, meanwhile no one's having a better year than Rob Ryan's crew. I do not blame Garrett for playcalling. The better team won a tough game.
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