Cowboys Shuffle In...

[trodgers]

They didn't quite stumble in. They surely didn't march in. Whatever they did, the Cowboys are going to the playoffs and will see a first round bye. This will provide time for rest and healing, which is very good. It will allow time to clear out thoughts of a loss on the last game of the season. That is also good. It may, however, provide some time to consider what went wrong during the latter part of the season.

Three weeks ago, the Cowboys were 12-1, the second best record in the NFL, undisputedly the second best team in the NFL, best in the NFC, and were ready to face off against New England in the Super Bowl. And then the Cowboys scored 32 points over the final three games of the season and lost two of three. So what went wrong?

1. Play selection. Over the course of the season, Dallas averaged 26.9 rushes and 33.6 passes (entering week 17), a pretty even split, a 5:4 ratio in favor of passes. During the last three games of the season, Dallas averaged 23 rushes and 35 passes, a 3:2 ratio in favor of passes. Removing the win against Carolina, the split was 15.5 runs vs. 31.5 passes, nearly a 2:1 ratio. Passing repeatedly allows the defense to play the pass and send blitzes. The Cowboys failed to pick up blitzes and Romo's play suffered.

2. Turnovers. The Cowboys committed 23 turnovers and received 27 takeaways. In their last three games, those numbers were 5 giveaways and 4 takeaways. That means that through the first 13 games of the season, Dallas averaged 1.4 GA and 1.8 TA. That's a +0.4 net. In the last three, the averages were 1.7 GA and 1.3 TA, a net of -0.4.

3. Time of Possession. Dallas controlled the ball for an average of 31 minutes and 4 seconds per game, just more than half of the game, over the course of the season. In the final three games, they averaged 29.1 minutes. That includes a 39 minute, ball dominant performance in the win over Carolina. So in the two losses, Dallas had the ball an average of 22 minutes. That means an offense that struggles to find a rhythm and a defense that gets tired and worn down.

All three of these situations MUST be remedied if Dallas is to be successful in the playoffs. Some brief recommendations:

1. RUN the ball. Tony Romo is a gifted QB, but when your team becomes one-dimensional, almost no QB is good enough to be successful. His high risk decision-making sometimes results in TO so make the DBs respect everyone who is running patterns by making them watch the run first.

2. Hope the WRs are healthy. A slightly gimpy TO is better than most WRs in the NFL because he can still make big plays and he can still draw attention. Even if Glenn isn't at 100% (and he's not), having him on the field does something similar to having TO on the field. Your WR2 or WR3 (whichever Glenn isn't playing) should be open all day with these guys on the field.

3. Check down. Romo likes to go for it all a lot, which is exciting, but it also hurts. When Witten isn't open of the middle, Romo likes to force the issue. Barber and Jones can both receive from the backfield and Fasano also has good hands. Romo must look to third options sometimes.

These recommendations will allow the clock to keep running, chew up yards, and keep the defense from getting a rest. This pays huge dividends late in games, where Dallas has really failed to put away games.
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[The Original 81]

I agree with everything youi said.

Am I the only one with a bad feeling? We already beat them twice, but I don't know I just have a bad feeling about it. Maybe because we haven't played well recently, T.O. is not at full strength, etc.

I hope I am completely wrong about this feeling.

We MUST run the ball more. That's the single most important thing we have to change.
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[trodgers]

I'm a bit worried. Manning hasn't been known to get it together in big games, but there's always that danger that he will get it clicking. He's a good QB. If TO is able to play, even if he's below 90%, it's HUGE for us. Dallas may just have too many weapons with Owens, Glenn, Crayton, Witten, and two RBs who can catch the ball out of the backfield.
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[Live and Die Cowboys]

Terrell Owens will play. Mark it down. There is no way he will miss this game. How healthy he will be is the question.

My defensive key to the game: Pressuring Eli Manning. Week one they didnt do a good job of that and the Cowboys won a shootout. Truthfully, I would rather not see a shootout again. I would much rather see the Cowboys sack Eli 5 times like when they played in Jersey. When he is getting pressured, he pretty much sucks. He forces throws, when he feels the slightest pressure he slides back and throws off his backfoot. If we get to Eli, the game will be ours without a doubt.

On offense it is really up to the Giants. Who do they double cover? Terrell Owens or Jason Witten? They double T.O. and Witten roams the middle of the field free. They double Witten and Owens burns Sam Madison all game. They are going to try real hard to blanket both of them. If they somehow do that then Crayton, Barber, Jones, Fasano, Glenn, and Hurd will have plenty of room to get open. They will have to step up. Jason Garrett will be ready, and could have a couple tricks up his sleeve. We have not seen any trick plays all year.

My prediction?
Cowboys 27
Giants 20