Garrett Is To Blame For the Loss

Jason Garrett blew it. And I don't mean the timeout that he called with 7 seconds left. I mean the timeout he didn't call after Dez Bryant caught the pass for a first down at the 32 yard line with 25 seconds on the clock. He should have called timeout and tried to get another 10-20 yards to make the field goal attempt for his kicker easier.

Garrett claims that he was afraid of a negative play. Playing football afraid to make a mistake usually results in a loss. And Garrett's lack of trust in his offense cost the Cowboys their 5th straight victory.

I'm not saying Jason Garrett is a terrible coach and he needs to be fired. I know some people feel that way. And is was a mistake that shouldn't happen. But we have to hope that Jason Garrett learns from his mistake and plays that situation more aggressively in the future. He will be the coach in Dallas for a long time regardless of the one bad game he called against the Cardinals.

I saw a stat today that said that a field goal from that spot is basically a 50-50 proposition. If the Cowboys could have moved up 15 yards the percentage goes up over 80% that Bailey will make the kick. It was a horrible decision by Garrett no matter how he tries to explain it away.

Lost in the end of game disaster was the stellar 4th quarter play of Tony Romo. He did everything he needed to do to get his team the victory. Let's not forget that he was clutch yet again. And he threw for 299 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions on a day that the offensive line was terrible both pass blocking and run blocking. The line gave up 5 sacks but it could have easily been 8 or 9 had it not been for some Romo magic. And Romo got the Cowboys down the field in the 2 minute offense and gave his team a shot at a win.

Dan Bailey finally had a bad game. But it is hard to fault the kicker for missing a 53 yard field goal and a 49 yard field goal. I didn't understand why the Cowboys chose to kick a 53 yard field goal early in the game on 4th and 1 instead of being aggressive and going for the first down. That was another bad call by Garrett that got lost in the shuffle.

The defense went in the tank in the 2nd half for the second game in a row. I don't understand why Rob Ryan has so much success attacking early in games and then backs off. The three man rushes that he calls in two minute situations drive me crazy. Give any quarterback all day to throw and he'll eventually find an open receiver. I'd like to see aggressive defensive calls on a consistent basis.

I don't want to sound like I am giving up on the Cowboys. But they haven't done anything over the last five games to convince me of what I concluded after the game against the Eagles. Right now the Cowboys are a very average team. The offense is average. The defense is average. And special teams is average at best.

Next week is a make or break moment in the season. If the Cowboys lose at home to the Giants I feel like the season will unravel. But if the Cowboys can find a way to win they will likely end up with the division title. That doesn't mean we should expect much in the postseason. But at least they would be in the tournament which is a huge improvement over last season. I hope the Cowboys find a way to play at a much higher level next week. Another performance like this one next week will result in an embarrassing blow out loss.

Another Heartstopping Finish

What a game last night. And what a season it has been so far. The Cowboys could easily be 0-3. But they could just as easily be 3-0. After escaping last night with a win that felt like stealing you have to be happy with the Cowboys sitting at 2-1.

Say what you want about the embarrassing performance of some of the players on offense last night. There is something to this Jason Garrett guy. For some reason the Cowboys have suddenly remembered how to come through in the clutch and win the game late. And, like I have said many times, winning in situations like that becomes a habit just as much as losing games like last night’s does.

It was another gutty performance from Romo. I have never seen him get so visibly angry with his teammates as he did last night. I’m sure the “leadership” questioners were loving the fact that he was yelling at his teammates to get things fixed. That is what many people think leadership is. But it really isn’t too shocking that a guy playing in immense pain is going to get more than just a little frustrated with repeated boneheaded mistakes. What I really liked about Romo was the way he kept fighting throughout the game even though things just weren’t going right. That is what I am looking for in a leader. I don’t mind the yelling but I think what he does when he is coaching up his teammates on the sidelines is a bigger sign of leadership.

The play on 3^rd and 21 late in the game was the back breaker for the Redskins. They sent an all out blitz and the Cowboys did a decent job picking it up. Nothing was there for Romo so he retreated and rolled right to buy time. Dez broke deep and Romo made a Romo play. He threw off his back foot across his body running away from the line of scrimmage. It was basically everything that a quarterback is taught not to do. But it works for Romo when he is in the zone. It was one of those plays where it was amazing but it could have also turned out to be like the interception late in the Jets game where you wonder what in the hell Romo it thinking. It’s what makes him Tony Romo.

I have to admit I was wrong about Dan Bailey. I was ready to cut him after he missed the 21 yard field goal early in the 49er game last week. After nailing the kick to send the game to overtime last week and the game winner last week and then going 6 for 6 with another game winner this week I think he’ll be the kicker for years to come. I love the way his kicks go right down the middle. I am actually starting to have a little confidence when the Cowboys line up for a field goal that the kick will go through the uprights.

Is there any doubt that Sean Lee is a force to be reckoned with at this point? The guy is just all over the field. He reminds me of one of my favorite Cowboys of all time, Dexter Coakley. The reason I loved Coakley is the same reason I am loving Lee. Just watch where Sean Lee is and that is where the play is going. He has a natural feel for the game and he just keeps making plays.

And let’s not forget that this game was really won by the defense and special teams. Sure, Romo gets a lot of credit because he is the quarterback. But the offense was not very good most of the night. The defense kept the Cowboys in the game. And Dan Bailey’s field goals speak for themselves. In a low scoring game like last night’s game it reminds you how important Matt McBriar can be. He completely swung the field position on a couple of punts and you can’t overlook how important that can be.

I’m certainly not going to complain about a win. But there are a lot of problems that need to be fixed. The biggest problem has to be the confusion with the wide receivers on where to line up and what route to run. Not knowing your job is at least understandable if you are new to the team like Laurent Robinson. But Kevin Ogletree should be ashamed of his performance outside of one nice catch that he made late in the 4^th quarter. One more game like that from Ogletree and he’ll be packing his bags at the end of the season. I’m not going to harp on the botched snaps too much because it turns out the Redskins were illegally mimicking Romo’s snap count to get Costa to snap the ball early. The Cowboys should have adjusted once they realized that the horrible officiating crew wasn’t going to call a penalty but it is a problem that is easily corrected.

At the end of the day the Cowboys escape with a win and a 2-1 record. Not bad for a team with so many injuries. Next week’s game is going to be a real test. The offense better find a way to play much, much better or it is going to be a long day against Detroit. Hopefully the defense will be able to continue their stellar play and shut down the Lion’s seemingly unstoppable offensive machine.