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Wade opens a 50-gallon drum of "whatever" on Philly
Our Dallas Cowboys slammed the door on the Philadelphia Eagles last night, and left no doubt at all about who was the better team. What was more impressive is that Dallas actually managed to improve on an already terrific late-season run in two important ways.
While closing the season on a three game winning streak, with consecutive shutouts in the last two, and Tony Romo named Offensive Player of the Month for December, the Cowboys still came up short in a couple of areas.
First, after beating Seattle 38-17 on November 1st, Dallas failed to score more than 24 points in their next nine games. With the defense allowing only 12.7 points per game during that stretch, they still won most of those games, but with some high-scoring opponents to face in the play-offs, the offense needed to get something going. Last night, they did, ringing up 34 points to go along with the 400+ yards and nearly 40 minutes time of possession that we've now come to expect.
Second, although the defense has managed to keep teams out of the end zone pretty effectively all year, the one thing they have not done very much is take the ball away. Four takeaways against Philadelphia added that missing dimension to an already scary defense.
Other positives in the game were not really new, but they were very good to see. I said a few weeks ago that Felix Jones's big plays would come, and last night they did, with a 30 yard catch and run, and then his spectacular 73 yard TD run. He had a career high in touches, and sure did not look like he was wearing down.
The defensive backfield was very impressive, as well. Newman, I thought, had one of his better games, and both safeties really made statements with good coverage and big hits. Jenkins made a nice pick, but tried to get cute with a lateral and gave the ball right back. The team overcame his mistake.
Romo looked very sharp most of the night, although he dodged one bullet when Sean Jones was unable to corral an ill-advised pass heaved under heavy pressure. It's as if the football gods wanted to say "Okay, Tony, that's a make-up for the one that bounced off Witten's foot in September. We're even now, so try to be more careful."
Finally, let's talk about the one guy we all have loved to hate for the last three years: Wade Phillips. I've been on the coaching critic bandwagon often enough (although I was stunned when the home crowd booed him during team introductions at a game I attended earlier this year,) so now let's give a little credit.
That was a Wade Phillips defense out there tearing the Eagles to pieces, and a Wade Phillips roster playing their hearts out. You absolutely cannot say he is just "coaching Parcells' team." Thirty-six of the players on the 53-man roster were either brought on board by Wade, or were here prior to Parcells, including six of eleven defensive starters. He always believed in his players, even when some of us had doubts, and they are beginning to repay that trust.
He has done it his way, stubbornly at times, yet also vowed last off-season to make some changes; to do "more whatever." One thing is for sure: the Eagles don't want any more whatever.
But I do.
- Tim's blog
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About the only concern I took
About the only concern I took from Saturday's game was the number of penalties, especially against Jason Witten. I don't know if the refs were trigger-happy or what, but I wish we could get those under control.
We so thoroughly dominated Philly that it didn't matter, but there was one series when we were deep in the red zone but a couple of penalties took us out of scoring position and we either kicked the FG or punted, I forget. As the competition stiffens, it will be harder to overcome those mistakes.
There were a lot of
There were a lot of penalties, but remember back when we used to say "the Cowboys are just not good enough to overcome all those penalties."
Apparently, now they are good enough.
Or at least I am telling myself that as a way to put a positive spin on it. Obviously that has got to improve in a hurry.
Am I the only one surprised at how many Witten committed? Wow. Especially since (not having actually looked up the numbers) this seems like a career low year for Flozell (after a couple bad weeks early on.)
Witten had a few for sure but
Witten had a few for sure but one key one was the "illegal blocking downfield" penalty on the bubble screen play to Ogletree and to be honest the Cowboys could get called on that every time they run that play. As a matter of fact, you can watch John Phillips blocking someone downfield before Miles Austin catches the same play for a touchdown.
So sometimes even the design of a play warrants a penalty and it is random chance when it actually gets called. The Arizona Cardinal pick plays come to mind - they run more than any team in the league which is why you see guys running open a lot in their offense. Who gets called for the pick and when is only a matter of chance...
So you can almost put those plays on the coordinator/coaches. The design of a play warrants a penalty so when players get called for them it is the coach's fault. Either change the design or live with the penalties. It just sucks that Witten's had to come on top of a day in which he had already been called for a lot of stupid motion and I think even a holding penalty.
Danny Smith
Dallas Cowboys Fan Network Creator and Administrator
One thing I should probably
One thing I should probably clarify about my pat on Wade's back. When I said I wanted "more whatever," I was really just talking about next week! I realize re-reading it that it kind of sounds like I am talking about a contract extension.
Unlike a lot of the sports media, I'm not that quick to scream ":fire him!" and I'm not that quick to spin around and say "extend him!" I just wanted to give credit where it is due. One way or another, he's gotten this team farther than the last three head coaches managed to, and whatever we think, the players seem to be quick to credit Phillips.
Barry Switzer got this team to a Super Bowl, but I still don't think he was a great coach. I also don't recall anything like the unanimous praise and respect from his players that Wade seems to get, and that is one aspect (not the only one) of leadership.
All that said, I don't really disagree with you, either. Again, I am just ready for more "whatever" (of the kind dumped on Philly) to be dumped on the Vikings next week!
Hey Tim - yea I didn't take
Hey Tim - yea I didn't take "hire him" from your post - again I was lazily using this response to address lots of people (like Jean Laques Taylor, etc who have said hire him).
Regarding Switzer, one thing players did talk about a few times were his halftime speeches. In particular, Emmitt Smith talked about what he did at halftime of said Super Bowl that they won. If you remember, they were losing 7-6 at halftime and playing like crap. Emmit said players were yelling at each other and starting to get scared, etc, etc and then Switzer sat everyone down and told them an inspirational story about growing up in a very poor environment the son of a bootlegger, etc (I don't have the details of course since I wasn't there) and having to overcome adversity.
For some reason, Emmit said that story touched everyone in the room and they came out and destroyed Pittsbugh in the second half. I too was not on the Switzer bandwagon but when I hear things like that I understand that he did contribute in a big way to us winning that game (and probably others) and inspiring players when they need it most.
I hope when/if the time comes for Phillips to do such a thing he can deliver...
Danny Smith
Dallas Cowboys Fan Network Creator and Administrator
Plus, Switzer was usually
Plus, Switzer was usually pretty entertaining in his press conferences!
I will somewhat agree and
I will somewhat agree and disagree about Phillips (how's that for being on the fence :) This comment is not directed at you or your article Tim just a convienient place to respond about Phillips...
Phillips right now and has been in recent years a very good defensive coordinator when he has the right talent in place to execute his schemes. He also seems to have a great feel for defensive playcalling so as far as his performance as a defensive coordinator - A+ - top of the line - sign him for 5+ years, etc...
From the head coaching perspective, as far as getting a team to play hard, most people close to football will say you either have that in you or you don't. Your objective as a head coach/general manager is to get rid of the guys that don't. They have done a pretty good job of that...but if anything Brooking does more to fire up this team to play than Phillips. Also, Phillips is not one to do much motivational speaking at halftime - it is just not in his personality.
A great head coach has to be a leader. I cannot, as of yet, call Phillips that. He has one playoff victory, against a team we had already beaten twice. He deserves credit for that yes but I am reading lots of columns where people are saying go ahead and extend his contract, etc, etc.
The sudden "emergence" of MIles Austin is a perfect example. Remember, it is dumb luck that even got Miles Austin into the starting lineup - a Roy Williams injury. A great leader or coach does not have that kind of talent on his roster, watching him day after day in practice, and continue to roll out Crayton and Williams as the starters. If not for that injury, who knows how many more games we would have lost with no offense to speak of? We probably would not have made the playoffs at all and Phillips would be rightfully fired by now.
The team preparation aspect is questionable because we continue to have a ridiculous amount of penalties - well coached teams just don't deal with this on a consistent basis. It seems we have just conceded ourselves to the fact that about a third of our series will start as a first and 15 because of some illegal procedure or motion penalty. A great head coach gets that fixed...
I could go on and on...basically it is hard for me to call Phillps a great head coach at this time. He was in essence one game away from being fired. He won a playoff game at home that he was favored to win. I still want Phillips to make me eat my words - I do - he is a very likeable guy and a great defensive coordinator. I think this game upcoming on Sunday will be the watermark for me. If we take care of business and move on to the NFC championship game he will have convinced me. If we lose after a bunch of penalities or because we continue to give Barber carries that should go to Choice or Jones than mark me down as someone who will call this team for what it is: a team with a great defensive and offensive coordiantor who still needs a real leader...
Danny Smith
Dallas Cowboys Fan Network Creator and Administrator