2021-2022 NFL Season (1 Viewer)

[Jeffrey D]

A lot of fan bases were taking great delight in that Cowboys loss. It's been 26 years since they last won a playoff game super bowl.

I read that the Cowboys hold the record of 11 straight playoff appearances without advancing to the conference championship game.

 

[sleroi]

My question about the end of the Cowboys game is, since they only needed about 10 yards to increase their odds at a chance in the endzone, and sliding at the 30 instead of the 24 would have saved a few seconds, how far was the play designed to cover?

Im firmly a Cowboys hater, even though I live in Dallas. On the local post game show, they were way more upset at the overall lack of offense than the last play.

I also thought it was funny that Dak initially thought it was sad that the fans were throwing crap all over the field at the players, but when informed they were throwing stuff at the refs he said, "oh, then credit to them." Classy.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

My question about the end of the Cowboys game is, since they only needed about 10 yards to increase their odds at a chance in the endzone, and sliding at the 30 instead of the 24 would have saved a few seconds, how far was the play designed to cover?

Im firmly a Cowboys hater, even though I live in Dallas. On the local post game show, they were way more upset at the overall lack of offense than the last play.

I also thought it was funny that Dak initially thought it was sad that the fans were throwing crap all over the field at the players, but when informed they were throwing stuff at the refs he said, "oh, then credit to them." Classy.

I don't think it mattered how far they thought the play would go if they ran it and managed a spike to stop the clock they were going to only have time to run one more play. So, it made no sense to run. You take two passing plays with 14 seconds left. You may even get three with an incompletion. Running up the middle made no sense.

The fans should have understood that the ending was not the fault of the refs, it was a bad play combined with Prescott not knowing what he needed to do to reset his team if he ran. The refs tried to help Dallas get the spike but really that should not have happened in the first place. Dallas fans are going to end up blaming McCarthy for the loss as when he had a fourth and 2 they wanted him to go for it and he punted. Granted there was enough time in the game that punting was fine there but the fans will question that call too.

To me Dallas just looked out of sorts pretty much the entire game. They deserved to lose.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

To me Dallas just looked out of sorts pretty much the entire game. They deserved to lose.

The delay of game penalty right after Dallas pulled off a successful fake punt was also a bizarre coaching decision. Why would you leave your punt team on the field lined up until the play clock got down to 12 seconds and then try to change personnel? They looked like the Keystone Cops out there. The penalty killed the momentum from the successful fake, the drive stalled, and Dallas had to settle for a field goal.

I enjoy watching the Cowboys implode as much as anyone, but McCarthy looked like Wile E. Coyote out there.

 

[Chip_HT]

The delay of game penalty right after Dallas pulled off a successful fake punt was also a bizarre coaching decision.

Even Nate Burleson on the Nickelodeon broadcast called them out on that.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

The delay of game penalty right after Dallas pulled off a successful fake punt was also a bizarre coaching decision. Why would you leave your punt team on the field lined up until the play clock got down to 12 seconds and then try to change personnel? They looked like the Keystone Cops out there. The penalty killed the momentum from the successful fake, the drive stalled, and Dallas had to settle for a field goal.

I enjoy watching the Cowboys implode as much as anyone, but McCarthy looked like Wile E. Coyote out there.

Yeah, two games this weekend just looked bad to me. One being this game, Dallas was just not prepared to play or seemed to choke. Second was the Patriots who I am sure were prepared to play but wow, their defense did not show up. They looked like they were running in cement shoes and just seemed not to be there. The Bills offense totally manhandled that Patriots defense. When you get Mac Jones and the offense down three scores well, now they have to come out of their normal gameplan and McDaniels has to open things up. The truth is they are not that kind of offense yet and Jones is not that kind of QB yet. So, at the end of the first half of that game I was convinced it was over. No way Jones was leading a comeback and wow, the Patriots defense looked totally spent in the second half. Granted the Bills seemed to play that game like it was their Super Bowl and badly wanted to crush the Patriots.

The games with the Steelers and Eagles I was not at all surprised by. Neither of those teams are good and they had to play very good teams. I expected blowouts there.

Next weekend's games should be much better games because I think we will see teams that are much more evenly matched.

Tonight's match-up should be very interesting but the Cardinals seem stuck in a slide. I expect the Rams will win tonight but the Cardinals could give them a run for their money or they could continue their slide. The Cardinals come into the playoffs looking like they have gone cold while the Rams may be on the upswing here.

 

[Johnny Angell]

A lot of fan bases were taking great delight in that Cowboys loss. It's been 26 years since they last won a playoff game super bowl.

What? You mean fans root against “America’s Team”?

I had a good NFL weekend despite my Raiders losing as both, the Cowboys and Patriots lost. Now, I'm worried about the Bucs because I'm not sure anybody else left in the NFC is good enough to beat them. I'm not sold on the Packers and Jimmy G. makes too many critical mistakes.

Most weekends end poorly for me, but this one was great. Chiefs won and Cowboys, Raiders, and Pats lost. I really enjoyed how Dallas lost.

Question: On Mahomes TD pass to the lineman, was it legal for him to throw down Watts like he did? Seems like he couldn’t do that to pass protect, can he do that to block? I wonder if that’s the shortest TD pass in playoff history?

 

[Johnny Angell]

I think Dak should be heavily fined for in effect, condoning and encouraging fans to throw objects onto the field. The refs kept that drive alive for the cowboys and didn’t call that last play. If Dak had settled for 10 yards and slide he probably could have spiked the ball.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Question: On Mahomes TD pass to the lineman, was it legal for him to throw down Watts like he did? Seems like he couldn’t do that to pass protect, can he do that to block? I wonder if that’s the shortest TD pass in playoff history?

Of course not, but they could call holding on every single play whether offensive or defensive holding. And, I mean every single play has some type of holding from both sides of the ball.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I think Dak should be heavily fined for in effect, condoning and encouraging fans to throw objects onto the field. The refs kept that drive alive for the cowboys and didn’t call that last play. If Dak had settled for 10 yards and slide he probably could have spiked the ball.

After the game and even during it, wasn't one of Dak's finest moments.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Of course not, but they could call holding on every single play whether offensive or defensive holding. And, I mean every single play has some type of holding from both sides of the ball.

I agree with you but that one was out in the open for god and country to clearly see. I am glad he got the TD. I bet his teammates rib him over catching the shortest TD pass.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

You mean fans root against “America’s Team”?

Personally, I don't really root against any team as mostly I don't hate any team enough to do that. I root against some players because I do not like them. I have not liked Zeke Elliott since hearing about his exploits and seeing the video of him trying to rip a woman's boobs out of her shirt at a parade. That guy can't lose enough for my tastes. I read an article though that says Dallas wants to trade him this offseason and that they like Pollard a lot more. So, I kind of hope once he is gone suddenly Dallas becomes a better team...just so he can watch them win while he continues to lose somewhere else.

The Bengals also have Joe Mixon, a guy I root against that seems to also be a lowlife. Most NFL teams wanted nothing to do with him. It is cool to see the Bengals in the playoffs but I would prefer to see them do it without Mixon. Basically, I won't really turn on a team, but players are another story. There are plenty of bad guys but if you rooted against all of the teams with a bad guy on them there probably would not be much to root for.

I like seeing Bengals fans getting a shot to see their team in the playoffs. I was fine with watching the Cowboys in the playoffs as they seemed to be the best team in their division by far. I expect they probably own that division next season as well as the Giants, Redskins, and Eagles all seem to have major issues to fix that I don't have a lot of confidence in them fixing.

The Bengals likely come in as the favorite to win their division next season but should have to contend with the Ravens and maybe the Browns if they can sort themselves out could be competitive. I don't expect much from next year's Steelers but if they are terrible, perhaps they draft their next QB in 2023.

 

[sleroi]

"I don't think it mattered how far they thought the play would go if they ran it and managed a spike to stop the clock they were going to only have time to run one more play. So, it made no sense to run. You take two passing plays with 14 seconds left. You may even get three with an incompletion. Running up the middle made no sense."

I wasnt arguing that the play made sense. But since it was a matter of seconds, it would seem it would take 1-2 seconds less to have only run 10 yards instead of 17 yards. So for as much criticism as McCarthy and Moore are taking for calling it, shouldnt Dak be criticized for not having enough game sense to have slid earlier and make for sure they would at least have that one last chance?

I heard on the radio today that of the 28 teams in the history of the NFL with 500+ points, only 2 lost in the wild card round, the Cowboys yesterday and the 2001 Rams. Also, in the 26 years since the Cowboys last won the superbowl only 6 other teams havent been to the conference championship game: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Miami, Houston, Detroit and Washington. Theyre in some good company there.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I wasnt arguing that the play made sense. But since it was a matter of seconds, it would seem it would take 1-2 seconds less to have only run 10 yards instead of 17 yards. So for as much criticism as McCarthy and Moore are taking for calling it, shouldnt Dak be criticized for not having enough game sense to have slid earlier and make for sure they would at least have that one last chance?

Yes, Dak should be criticized for (1) not sliding sooner and (2) not handing the ball immediately to the official, and instead giving it to his center to spot. Any veteran QB knows that by rule, the official must be the person who spots the ball, so the ball needs to be put into the official's hands as quickly as possible in the hurry-up offense.

However, even if Dak had done things correctly, had the official then done his job properly and walked the ball back to where Prescott had begun his slide at the 26 yard line -- instead of just moving it slightly from where Dak and the center placed it at the 24 -- then time still would have run out before the Dallas players would have moved back a few yards, set themselves, the ball was snapped and spiked.

So, no matter how you look at the situation, it was a dumb play call, as 14 seconds isn't enough time to run it. The coaches put Dak in a bad situation by calling the play, and then Prescott panicked -- probably because he felt too rushed.

 

[Malcolm R]

Dallas lost because of bad coaching and bad playing. That they're trying to blame the officiating, which in this case was not to blame for once, just shows what a classless bunch of douches make up the Cowboys' organization, from top to bottom.

If you don't understand how to coach the game or play the game, you don't deserve to win the game no matter how entitled you may think you are as the "Cowboys".

Any veteran player and coach knows that the key to hurry-up when time is running out is to get the ball into the hands of the official ASAP. We see players run the ball over to the officials and hand it to them all the time.

From ProFootballTalk:

Prescott never, ever, ever should have given the ball to the center. Based on his post-game comments, it’s clear that he was coached to do it this way, by head coach Mike McCarthy and/or offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

McCarthy said Sunday that they practice the play every week. Well, they weren’t practicing it enough. Or they weren’t practicing it properly. Prescott should have known to get the ball to the umpire. Indeed, to practice the play properly, the Cowboys should have had someone playing the role of the umpire, since what happens after the play ends is as important as (if not more important than) what happens during the play.

If the above is true, then the Dallas coaching staff is a massive clown show. Of course, when Bozo is your GM....

 

[Walter Kittel]

Sure is a lot of love for my Cowboys in this thread.

That was a pretty miserable way to end the contest. Time remaining in the game was more critical than the yardage. Probably would've had time for at least two tries at the end zone without that ill advised scramble.

Way too many pre-snap penalties. Serious lack of discipline on the club which really hurts them in close games.

- Walter.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

If the above is true, then the Dallas coaching staff is a massive clown show. Of course, when Bozo is your GM....

Well, Mike McCarthy has never been known to be the sharpest knife in the drawer.

 

[JohnRice]

I don't know if anyone has brought up this possibility, but a well coached team would tell their defense "If they do something really stupid and run up the middle, let them got some yards so there is zero chance to clock it. Just don't let them get to the sideline."

The fact Dak is feeding this BS that the refs screwed up really should say a lot about him.

 

[JohnRice]

If the above is true, then the Dallas coaching staff is a massive clown show. Of course, when Bozo is your GM....

I've seen this situation several times, and every time the player will run to the closest official and hand them the ball. Even I know a player can't set the ball. I mean, seriously.

 

[Jeffrey D]

A couple of things either shoot down Dak’s claims, or pull back the curtain to negligent coaching. I’ve heard that officials work with each team in preseason practices/scrimmages for the purpose of shaking the rust off of themselves, and communicate current or changed rules. Also, I would think a 2 minute offense gets worked on quite often during season practices, much like a golfer will spend more time with a wedge in his hand than a driver while practicing. The majority of games are one possession differences, so failures in running a good 2 minute offense will lose more games than win them.